FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

UK-Israeli Co-operation: International Development

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK-Israeli co-operation on international development.

Hugh Robertson: We work with Israel in international bodies such as the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. The Department for International Development do not have any joint international development projects with Israel, but would consider any proposals made by Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, MASHAV.

Palestinian Child Detainees: Israel

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of Israeli treatment of Palestinian child detainees.

Hugh Robertson: We continue to have serious concerns about Israel’s treatment of Palestinian child detainees, despite some progress. The UK highlighted this issue at Israel’s Universal Periodic Review session at the UN Human Rights Council on 29 October.

Gaza

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the blockade of Gaza by the Israeli Defence Force on (a) the Gazan economy and (b) children in Gaza.

Hugh Robertson: Israeli restrictions, combined with the closure of the smuggling tunnels from Egypt, are severely affecting Gaza’s economy and the living conditions for ordinary people, including children. We have called on Israel to open up legal trade for Gaza.

EU Enlargement

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which states, or parts thereof, have (a) applied for and (b) achieved member state status of the European Union under (i) Article 48 and (ii) Article 49 of the Treaty of European Union, or equivalent earlier treaty provision.

David Lidington: Of the 22 countries that have joined the six founding states as full EU members, all joined under article 49 of the treaty on European Union or equivalent earlier treaty provision. There are currently five recognised candidate countries (Iceland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey), all of whom are applying for member status under article 49. Article 48 of the treaty on European Union, or equivalent earlier treaty provision, has never been used to expand the membership of the European economic community or EU.

Foreign Relations

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will commission a comparative study on the relationship between (a) Ceuta and Melilla with Spain and (b) Gibraltar and the UK, and of how the UK might raise at EU level the issue of legal problems arising from Spain's relationship with Ceuta and Melilla.

David Lidington: We continually monitor EU and international issues which may be relevant for safeguarding Gibraltar. Ceuta and Melilla both border Morocco but are constitutionally part of Spanish metropolitan territory. The status of the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla is, like the status of Gibraltar as a British Overseas Territory, the result of a distinct set of historical circumstances. At present, we do not have plans to commission a comparative study covering Ceuta and Melilla.

Iraq

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2013, Official Report, column 6W, on Iraq, what reports his Department received on links between Hamid Jafar, Crescent Petroleum International and the former Iraqi government led by Saddam Hussein between 1992 and 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The information requested is not held centrally and is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.

Israel

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Israel on the prevention of terrorism in that country.

Hugh Robertson: We have regular discussions with the Israeli authorities on counter-terrorism issues, including an official UK-Israel counter-terrorism dialogue, held most recently in July 2013.

Israel

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the Prawer plan in the Negev region of Israel.

Hugh Robertson: Our ambassador to Tel Aviv has discussed our concerns over the Prawer-Begin Bill with Israeli Ministers and parliamentarians, while our embassy is in regular contact with Bedouin leaders and activists as well as independent experts. We also raised our concerns during Israel's Universal Periodic Review session at the UN Human Rights Council on 29 October.

Israel

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli Government regarding the implementation of the recommendations in the report on Children in Military Custody, published in June 2012 with funding from his Department.

Hugh Robertson: Officials from the British embassy in Tel Aviv have frequent discussions with the Israeli authorities on this issue, most recently with the Israeli Ministry of Justice on 21 November.

Kashmir

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the construction of a wall along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir; and whether he has made representations to the Indian government on this matter.

Hugo Swire: We are aware of recent media reports on the construction of a wall along the Line of Control. We have not made any representations to the Indian Government on this matter. UK officials in our high commissions in Delhi and Islamabad regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with both Governments. We welcome the fact that the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India met in New York in September and the commitment they made to maintain a ceasefire on the Line of Control in Kashmir. The long-standing position of successive British Governments on Kashmir has been that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Written Questions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Leader of the House what efforts he is making to find efficiencies in and reduce the costs of answering written parliamentary questions.

Andrew Lansley: The Government is working, closely with authorities in the House of Commons on the development of a new questions and answers system which will enable both Houses of Parliament and all answering bodies to distribute questions for written answer and their associated answers securely and electronically to Members and straight to web publication on Parliament's website. The project will reduce the cost of processing and publishing questions and answers and improve access to them for Members and the public through dedicated web-pages for written answers.
	In addition, we expect to deliver significant costs savings across government departments, particularly in relation to stationery and delivery services.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Domestic Violence: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports of domestic violence there have been in Barrow and Furness constituency in each of the last five years; and how many of those reports have led to a conviction.

Norman Baker: holding answer 28 November 2013
	The Home Office collects statistics on the number of incidents that the police deal with which are flagged as being related to domestic abuse. These data are collected at the police force area level, therefore the requested information for Barrow and Furness is not available. Data in the table are given for Cumbria police, who have responsibility for policing Barrow and Furness.
	It should be noted that not all incidents that are flagged as domestic abuse by the police will subsequently be recorded as crimes. Furthermore, information on the number of recorded crimes which are related to domestic violence is not available. For the purposes of conviction, the figures (which are held by the Ministry of Justice) are the counts of crime under the appropriate offence classifications (e.g. Actual Bodily Harm, Grievous Bodily Harm) and convictions of such offences which arose from domestic violence incidents are therefore not separately identifiable.

Drugs: Misuse

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she or Ministers in her Department next expect to discuss the control of new psychoactive substances with (a) ministerial colleagues from other EU member states and (b) European Commissioners.

Norman Baker: holding answer 28 November 2013
	The control of new psychoactive substances will be discussed at official level at the Horizontal Drugs Group on 9 and 10 December. This will be followed by the European Council Justice and Home Affairs Council at ministerial level in early 2014. Details of all ministerial meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department of the 143 suspected victims of trafficking referred to the National Referral Mechanism by her Department and Border Force staff between April and June 2013, how many had arrived in the UK on a document with a visa.

Mark Harper: Of the 143 suspected victims of trafficking referred to the National Referral Mechanism between April and June 2013:
	37 suspected victims entered on a passport with the appropriate visa;
	105 were illegal entries; and
	one case was an EEA national holding a passport.

Interpol

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial contribution the UK has made to Interpol in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 2 December 2013
	The following table sets out the contribution the UK has made to Interpol in each of the last 10 years.
	
		
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2003-04 1.127 
			 2004-05 1.536 
			 2005-06 1.585 
			 2006-07 1.710 
			 2007-08 1.980 
			 2008-09 2.487 
			 2009-10 2.933 
			 2010-11 2.862 
			 2011-12 2.821 
			 2012-13 2.810 
		
	
	The National Crime Agency (NCA) now hosts the UK National Central Bureau (NCB) for Interpol and is now responsible for these payments. The UKNCB was previously hosted by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and, prior to 2006, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).

Knives: Crime

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to reduce knife crime.

Norman Baker: holding answer 2 December 2013
	Police recorded crime data show knife crime fell by 12% in the year up to June 2013.
	The Government has created a new offence in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 for those who carry a knife in a public place or in a school, and go on to threaten and cause an immediate risk of serious physical harm to another person.
	The Government is also considering whether further changes need to be made to the sentencing framework for knife possession as part of the knife sentencing review. Any changes will be brought forward in due course.
	We continue to enable and support local areas to tackle gang and youth violence, including knife crime, through the Ending Gang and Youth Violence Programme.

Ministers' Private Offices

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office.

James Brokenshire: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 398W.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many of her Department's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010;
	(2)  how many secondees from (a) trade unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in her Department since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has seconded less than five staff to the private sector since 2010. Providing a further breakdown would breach the Department's obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 not to disclose, to a third party, personal information about another person. The Home Office have not seconded staff to trade unions since 2010.
	The Home Office has seconded 993 staff in since 2010. As we do not centrally record details of individual employers, establishing the number of staff who have been seconded from a trade union or the voluntary sector, could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Vetting

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average wait is for a DBS check (a) in each region, (b) in each police force area and (c) nationally; and how many and what proportion of applicants waited more than (i) two months and (ii) three months for a DBS or CRB check in the last five years;
	(2)  what the average waiting time is for taxi drivers to receive Disclosure and Barring Service checks; and how many and what proportion of applicants who work as taxi drivers have to wait more than (a) two and (b) three months (i) in each region, (ii) in each police force area and (iii) nationally for such checks.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 8 and 11 November 2013
	The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has provided the requested information, and I will place the comprehensive statistical tables in the House Library for your reference.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Written Questions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the House of Commons Commission is taking to reduce the costs incurred in publishing answers to written parliamentary questions.

John Thurso: In June 2012, the House of Commons Commission agreed to a package of changes to printing, publishing and purchasing arrangements for written answers. Written answers will cease to be printed in daily Hansard from 2014-15. In addition, the Finance and Services Committee agreed, in September 2013, that written answers would not be printed in bound volumes of Hansard from the end of the 2013-14 Session.
	A new questions and answers system is being developed which will enable both Houses of Parliament and all answering bodies to distribute questions for written answer and their associated answers securely and electronically to Members and straight to web publication on Parliament's website. The project will reduce the cost of processing and publishing questions and answers and improve access to them for Members and the public through dedicated web-pages for written answers. Demonstrations for Members and their staff will take place early in the new year.
	Taken together, these changes are expected to deliver savings in the House of Commons of £578,000 in 2014-15 and £772,000 of recurring savings in subsequent years.

WALES

Winter Fuel Payments

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which wards in each county borough in Wales received winter fuel payments in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Crabb: The information requested is not available by county borough, however information on the number of winter fuel payments recipients is available by local authority area in Wales for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.
	
		
			 (a) 2010-11 
			  Number 
			 Blaenau Gwent 15,360 
			 Bridgend 31,480 
			 Caerphilly 37,560 
			 Cardiff 57,230 
			 Carmarthenshire 46,750 
			 Ceredigion 19,170 
			 Conwy 32,820 
			 Denbighshire 24,910 
			 Flintshire 34,830 
			 Anglesey, Isle of 18,750 
			 Gwynedd 29,630 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 12,280 
			 Monmouthshire 23,830 
			 Neath Port Talbot 32,550 
			 Newport 29,850 
			 Pembrokeshire 32,540 
			 Powys 37,710 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taf 50,290 
			 Swansea 53,360 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 29,390 
			 Torfaen 20,420 
			 Wrexham 28,710 
			   
			 Total 699,420 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) 2011-12 
			  Number 
			 Blaenau Gwent 15,100 
			 Bridgend 31,220 
			 Caerphilly 37,260 
			 Cardiff 56,670 
			 Carmarthenshire 46,420 
			 Ceredigion 18,970 
			 Conwy 32,540 
			 Denbighshire 24,710 
			 Flintshire 34,700 
			 Anglesey, Isle of 18,670 
			 Gwynedd 29,200 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 12,190 
			 Monmouthshire 23,800 
			 Neath Port Talbot 32,130 
			 Newport 29,550 
			 Pembrokeshire 32,280 
			 Powys 37,640 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taf 49,640 
		
	
	
		
			 Swansea 52,670 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 29,240 
			 Torfaen 20,170 
			 Wrexham 28,450 
			   
			 Total 693,220 
		
	
	
		
			 (c) 2012-13 
			  Number 
			 Blaenau Gwent 14,930 
			 Bridgend 31,150 
			 Caerphilly 37,140 
			 Cardiff 56,300 
			 Carmarthenshire 46,170 
			 Ceredigion 18,920 
			 Conwy 32,390 
			 Denbighshire 24,620 
			 Flintshire 34,670 
			 Anglesey, Isle of 18,490 
			 Gwynedd 29,010 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 12,110 
			 Monmouthshire 23,870 
			 Neath Port Talbot 31,870 
			 Newport 29,280 
			 Pembrokeshire 32,240 
			 Powys 37,650 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taf 49,370 
			 Swansea 52,320 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 29,270 
			 Torfaen 20,040 
			 Wrexham 28,490 
			   
			 Total 690,280

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Banks: Pay

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Attorney-General how many officials in the Law Officers' Departments have worked, or are currently working, on the legal challenge lodged with the European Court of Justice on 25 September 2013 on new EU rules on pay in the banking sector.

Oliver Heald: At present, six lawyers or officials in the Government Legal Service have—in addition to numerous other responsibilities—been involved directly in working on EU legal challenges lodged by the UK and related to pay in the banking sector.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution: Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of levels of air pollution in Bristol against threshold limits.

Dan Rogerson: The UK's annual assessment of compliance with EU air quality standards for 2012 was published on 30 September this year. This report states that, in 2012, the Bristol urban area was compliant with all relevant EU air quality standards except the annual average limit value for nitrogen dioxide and the long term objective for ozone.
	The report can be found at:
	http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/index
	I have placed a copy in the Library of the House.

Canal and River Trust

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review clause 12 of the Water Bill to ensure that powers granted to Ofwat to vary or terminate future water sales agreement on the application of a water company do not negatively affect the Canal and River Trust.

Dan Rogerson: Officials are in dialogue with the Canal and River Trust about this issue and I am meeting with the Trust soon. We do not believe that clause 12 will negatively affect the Canal and River Trust and we are working with the Trust to ensure that this is the case.

Common Agricultural Policy

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to his Department's publication, A Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy, published in December 2005, if his Department will produced an updated estimate of the financial cost of the common agricultural policy for each British citizen or typical family in terms of (a) the net cost to British taxpayers, (b) the cost to consumers as a result of higher food prices and (c) the total cost per person or per family.

George Eustice: A Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy was published in 2005 and reported OECD estimates of the EU wide costs of CAP and associated trade policy at
	“around €100 billion a year; approximately €50 billion in consumer costs as a result of higher food prices, and approximately €50 billion taxpayer costs. This is an average cost to an EU family of four of around €950 a year.”
	The latest available OECD provisional estimates of the EU wide costs of CAP and associated trade policy for 2012 are around €95 billion with approximately €79 billion in taxpayer costs, and approximately €16 billion in consumer costs.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Dan Rogerson: There have been no formal complaints of age discrimination or harassment lodged against DEFRA or its Executive Agencies by an employee or other individuals in the last five years.
	The Rural Payments Agency have had no complaints formally lodged since October 2012 but to answer for the period prior to this date would be of disproportionate cost.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Dan Rogerson: There have been no formal complaints of racial discrimination or harassment lodged against employees of DEFRA and its Executive Agencies by current employees or other individuals in the last five years.
	The Rural Payments Agency have had no complaints formally lodged since October 2012 but to answer for the period prior to this date would-be of disproportionate cost.

Fly-grazing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of fly-grazing in (a) England, (b) Hampshire and (c) Portsmouth South constituency.

George Eustice: No specific assessment has been made by Government on the extent of horse welfare problems in specific parts of the country. However, the most recent estimates by welfare organisations suggest that there may be 2,500 horses being fly-grazed in England. There is a range of existing legislation that can be used to deal with fly-grazing including the Animals Act 1971 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. In addition, because fly grazing is a form of antisocial behaviour, existing antisocial behaviour legislation and forthcoming measures in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill may be used to tackle it. We consider the practical answer lies in tackling local issues through effective use of existing and forthcoming legislation together with sharing best practice and joined-up working by interested parties.

Food: Waste

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with its European counterparts on the European year against food waste in 2014.

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA has had no discussions with other EU member states specifically on the European Year against Food Waste in 2014. However, we have been working closely with the European Commission and other member states with regard to the Communication on Sustainable Food, in which food waste is a key issue. We expect the Communication on Sustainable Food to be published in spring 2014.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what welfare regulations his Department has put in place for people keeping chickens in domestic environments.

George Eustice: All keepers of domestic poultry must comply with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations 2007.

TRANSPORT

Goring and Streatley Station

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he expects to announce a decision on the installation of lifts for disabled passengers at Goring and Streatley stations.

Stephen Hammond: I have already asked the electrification programme to deliver footbridge and lift works at this station to make it accessible for disabled passengers. In parallel I have also asked Network Rail to nominate the station for funding through the Access for All programme.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work on the diversion of overhead electric lines in connection with High Speed 2 to commence.

Robert Goodwill: Major works associated with High Speed 2, including the diversion of overhead power lines related to either domestic supplies or railway services, are dependent on the Royal Assent of the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill, introduced to Parliament on 25 November 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what works on High Speed 2 are planned to commence before the passage of the Hybrid Bill through Parliament is complete.

Robert Goodwill: Section 1 of The High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013 allows that the Secretary of State may, with the approval of the Treasury, incur expenditure in preparation for a high speed railway transport network, including:
	(a) on pre-construction activity (such as surveying and design);
	(b) in acquiring property; and
	(c) in providing compensation in respect of property likely to be affected.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, column 306W, on High Speed 2 railway line 
	(1)  what organisation paid for the service advertised by HS2 Ltd as a free bus service provided to help people travel to and from the event on 30 November 2013 (a) from Annesley Woodhouse, Badger Box to Bilborough College and (b) from Strelley, Main Street to Bilborough College to attend the High Speed 2 consultation event on the route from West Midlands to Manchester, Leeds and elsewhere; and what the cost of this service was;
	(2)  for which meetings or community meetings along both phase 1 and phase 2 of the route of High Speed 2 free bus services were offered to attendees.

Robert Goodwill: The bus service to Bilborough college was provided by HS2 Ltd at the request of the local community to enable members of the public to attend a public information event on the phase two route consultation. These events are part of the public consultation process and are designed to allow the public to find out more about the proposed route in their area and encourage them to respond to the consultation.
	The cost of the shuttle was £200.
	HS2 Ltd have not offered free transport to attendees of meetings or community fora along Phase One or Phase Two of the HS2 route.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many properties are wholly or partially within the proposed HS2 Voluntary Purchase Zone in the constituencies of (a) Chesham and Amersham, (b) Beaconsfield, (c) Aylesbury and (d) Buckingham.

Robert Goodwill: The information requested is in the following table. Please note that the Voluntary Purchase Zone is now referred to as the Rural Support Zone in the Property Compensation Consultation 2013. For this question, the boundary for the Rural Support Zone is based on the maps published for the consultation.
	
		
			 Constituency Number of Dwellings within proposed Rural Support Zone for Phase One Number of Businesses within proposed Rural Support Zone for Phase One Total 
			 Aylesbury 22 0 22 
			 Beaconsfield 0 0 0 
			 Buckingham 14 1 15 
			 Chesham and Amersham 13 0 1-3 
			 Notes: 1. These figures are based on the proposed 120m Rural Support Zone set out in the Consultation document. However should the Property Bond option be introduced following the results of the consultation then this 120m boundary could change. 2. Rural Support Zone (RSZ) figures are the best currently available, but remain estimates. 3. The figures have been produced by an electronic count of the Ordnance Survey Address Layer (AL) 2 Postal Points. This is derived from Royal Mail data based on any property with a postal address. The OS AL2 dataset may not capture all the properties that are partially within the RSZ boundaries as the point for each property is located at the centre of each property parcel. The property parcel is the footprint of the building and any associated land (e.g. garden or farm land) and this may be within the RSZ boundary, however the centre may be outside. In this instance, the property would not be counted. The AL2 Postal Point layer contains all properties with a postal address—this would exclude plots of land such as roads, allotments, derelict industrial land etc. All 'PO BOX' entries were removed before calculations run.

M18

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons several lanes were closed on the M18 Motorway between junctions 6 and 7 and junctions 4 and 5 on 17 November 2013 when no work was being carried out.

Robert Goodwill: Resurfacing works were carried out on the southbound carriageway of the M18 between junctions 7 and 6 from 8 pm on Friday 15 November to 3.20 am on Monday 20 November 2013. To ensure the works could be carried out safely, traffic was restricted to the hard shoulder. At times, there were periods when work was temporarily halted to allow for the delivery of materials, for concrete to harden, and surfacing materials to cool and set sufficiently to permit vehicles to run on it.
	Works to replace the central reserve safety barrier on the M18 between junction 4 and 5 commenced on 4 November 2013.
	Works are carried out during daylight hours from Mondays to Saturdays, with occasional night time working when required, in line with the terms of the contract between the Highways Agency and its contractor. The works are expected to be completed by 22 December 2013.

Railways: Standards

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 978W, on railways: standards, on which dates (a) he and (b) officials from his Department met representatives of the Office of Rail Regulation to discuss the lowering of punctuality targets on the East Coast and West Coast main lines.

Stephen Hammond: Ministers and Department for Transport officials meet regularly with representatives of the Office of Rail Regulation to discuss a variety of topics. No meetings were held specifically on the issue of changes to proposed punctuality targets on the East Coast and West Coast main lines, but this was discussed during the course of a number of meetings with ORR in the run-up to the publication of its Final Determination.
	Public Performance Measure (PPM) and Cancellation and Significant Lateness (CaSL) are both punctuality targets. The new CaSL targets for the long distances services on the East Coast and West Coast main lines have been toughened and are more stretching than their corresponding reduced PPM target. This will mean that passengers taking longer journeys will benefit from fewer cancelled or significantly late services.

Roads: Yorkshire and the Humber

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the economic effect on (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Riding of Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber following the completion of the planned road improvements in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2014.

Robert Goodwill: No estimate has been made of the economic effect of road improvements on either Haltemprice and Howden constituency, or East Riding of Yorkshire. However, on 12 November 2013 the Department published an assessment of the impact of roads investment taking place in England in 2014. This assessment includes an estimate of economic benefits in Yorkshire and the Humber, which are estimated to be £1.7 billion.
	Full details of this assessment are available from the gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nearly-10000-jobs-supported-by-road-investment-in-2014

TREASURY

Banks: Loans

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 360W, on business: loans, what new requirements he plans to place on UK Financial Investment in light of the report by Mr Lawrence Tomlinson, Banks' lending practices: treatment of businesses in distress.

Sajid Javid: As you are aware the Government's shareholdings in Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are managed on a commercial and arm's length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI). UKFI's role is to manage the shares and not to manage the banks.
	Dr Tomlinson published his report in a private capacity-it is not a Government report. The Government is unable to comment on the veracity of the allegations. Nevertheless these are serious allegations. We understand RBS are investigating them; it is important that their investigation is concluded thoroughly and promptly.
	The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has considered the reports published by Sir Andrew Large into lending practices at RBS and, separately, by Dr Lawrence Tomlinson into banks' treatment of customers in financial difficulty.
	Accordingly, the FCA has agreed with RBS that an independent skilled person will be appointed in accordance with the FCA's power under section 166 of FSMA to review the allegations in the reports against RBS' practices within an agreed time scale.
	If the findings from the review reveal issues which come within the FCA's remit, the FCA will consider further regulatory measures.

Banks: Pay

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department have worked, or are currently working, on the legal challenge lodged with the European Court of Justice on 25 September 2013 on new EU rules on pay in the banking sector.

Sajid Javid: Work on the legal challenge has been undertaken by officials dealing with all the Treasury’s work (such as transposition work) following adoption of the CRD4 directive, and no additional staff have been assigned to work on the legal challenge.

Child Benefit

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in (a) the UK and (b) each region have been fined for failing to comply with the high-income child benefit tax charge since it was introduced.

David Gauke: holding answer 28 November 2013
	No taxpayers have yet received a penalty for failing to comply with the high income child benefit charge since its introduction.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to simplify interaction between tax free childcare and universal credit.

Nicky Morgan: holding answer 29 November 2013
	The Government wants to ensure that people can switch between universal credit and tax-free child care with minimal complexity. The Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs are working with stakeholders and the Department of Work and Pensions to ensure there is a smooth transition between the two schemes.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he takes to ensure claimants do not erroneously claim help with childcare costs through both tax free childcare and universal credit.

Nicky Morgan: holding answer 29 November 2013
	As set out in the tax-free childcare consultation, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plan to undertake a range of validation checks to confirm parents' eligibility to claim tax-free childcare both on initial registration and at subsequent points. This validation will include checks with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that parents in receipt of universal credit are not able to claim tax-free childcare support.
	More details of HMRC's compliance approach will be included in the Government tax-free childcare consultation response document which will be published in due course.

Children: Day Care

Simon Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the potential reduction in the cost to his Department's tax-free childcare scheme from restricting eligibility for that scheme to parents earning less than (a) £100,000, (b) £90,000, (c) £80,000, (d) £75,000, (e) £70,000, (f) £65,000 and (g) £60,000 per year;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the potential reduction in the cost of his Department's proposed tax-free childcare scheme from restricting that scheme to providing support for up to two children.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not available.
	Information on the new scheme for tax-free childcare will not be available until the consultation launched on 5 August is complete and the policy details have been fully defined. The Government response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Community Amateur Sports Clubs Scheme

Graham Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many sports clubs in (a) Hyndburn constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England will be affected by the recent changes to the Community Amateur Sports Clubs qualifying rates.

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many sports clubs in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) Hampshire will be affected by the recent changes to the Community Amateur Sports Clubs qualifying rates.

Nicky Morgan: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) expects all clubs that are registered as Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) will be able to continue to qualify as a CASC as a result of the changes announced on 26 November 2013, if they wish. However, some clubs may need to reorganise their activities if they wish to retain CASC status.
	The Government hopes more clubs will consider becoming eligible, and applying for, CASC status as a result of the changes.
	HMRC does not collect information about sports clubs by reference to regions of the UK.

Employment

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of job growth was in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in 2013; and what estimate he has made of such growth in each of the next three years.

Nicky Morgan: Since this Government came into power employment has increased by over a million and is now at its highest ever level, 29.95 million. This is 381,000 above its pre-recession peak.
	Latest available figures show that in the year to June 2013, compared with the previous 12 months employment in the Haltemprice and Howden constituency increased by 5.6%. In the three months to September 2013 employment in Yorkshire and the Humber increased by 2.1% on the year and in England by 1.1%. In March 2013 the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast UK employment over the next three years to grow by an average of 170,000 each year.

Public Expenditure

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate total public spending per head of population in each English region in the last 12 months.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is available on the HM Treasury website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/country-and-regional-analysis-2013

Revenue and Customs: Newry

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many assessment visits (a) he and (b) senior officials in his Department have made to the HM Revenue and Customs office in Newry.

David Gauke: holding answer 28 November 2013
	No Treasury Ministers or HMRC senior officials have made assessment visits to Newry offices. Any visits that have been made have been to visit staff during their normal course of business.

Sovereignty: Scotland

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effects on the state guarantee of deposits held by (a) individuals and (b) businesses in the UK if Scotland were to become an independent country.

Danny Alexander: As the Scotland analysis paper, ‘Financial Services and Banking’, makes clear, an independent Scotland would require its own deposit compensation scheme under European law. It would not be possible to share the UK’s deposit guarantee scheme—the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). On leaving the UK, the population of UK firms would therefore need to be split between the new Scottish deposit guarantee scheme and the UK’s FSCS.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the economic benefits to the North West of England of Scotland remaining part of the UK.

Nicky Morgan: The UK government's ‘Scotland Analysis paper: Macroeconomic and Fiscal Performance’ looked at the extent of trade between Scotland and the rest of the UK, including the north-west of England. The paper found that the rest of the UK benefits from large levels of trade with Scotland, with the rest of the UK exporting £59 billion of goods and services to Scotland in 2012. The introduction of an international border between Scotland and the North West would be expected to reduce these trade links.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Belfast

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department has allocated to Belfast's Super Connected City strategy; and what assessment she has made of that strategy.

Edward Vaizey: In May Belfast requested up to £13.46 million as part of its revised Super Connected Cities plan, which aims to bring the benefits of faster and better broadband to small businesses, wireless coverage to the city centre and inside public buildings. DCMS supports this exciting vision for the city. The strategy was approved in June and a conditional funding letter was issued in November. As with all Super Connected City plans, funding is being made available on condition of delivery by the 2015 deadline. DCMS continues to work closely with the city council on the development of its projects as it moves from design to implementation.

Coventry City Football Club

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will meet representatives of the Football League to discuss its recent decision to allow Coventry City FC to play at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium.

Helen Grant: I meet regularly with the Football League to discuss a range of issues. I also met with the hon. Member, and the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth), to hear about the situation faced by Coventry FC, and have raised their specific concerns with the Football League in writing, including the application of their own criteria and regulations in regards to Coventry City FC.
	I will let the hon. Member know as soon as I receive an answer.

Culture

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the Cultural Plan.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Ministers hold regular meetings with Ministers from the Department for Education to discuss a range of issues.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance her Department plans to provide to help local radio stations to switch to DAB.

Edward Vaizey: Government recognises the importance of local commercial radio stations to the communities they serve and is committed to reserving part of the FM spectrum as a platform for local and community radio stations, for as long as it is needed. My officials are also working with Ofcom to consider the potential options for smaller local stations to migrate to digital in the lead up to and after a future switchover. We are encouraged by the recent research Ofcom has carried out on software enabling small scale DAB transmissions, which has been successfully trialled in Brighton.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will meet representatives of small commercial FM radio stations to discuss the impact of the digital radio switchover and Government support for this sector before her Department's announcement, scheduled for 16 December 2013, on the switchover.

Edward Vaizey: During the Adjournment debate about Mix 96 and Digital Radio Switchover on 28 November I agreed to meet a delegation of hon. Members representing small commercial FM radio stations to discuss digital radio.

Telecommunications: Hearing Impairment

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues on voluntary funding of video relay services.

Edward Vaizey: As Minister for Communications, I met with the former Minister for the Disabled, my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Esther McVey), in May 2013 as part of our wider departmental discussions around the digital inclusion agenda. We discussed the accessibility of telecommunication services, in particular relay services in the UK for disabled and older people and how we can support the work that the UK Council on Deafness (UKCoD) and its Deaf Access to Communications (DAC) committee has been doing with stakeholders on Video Relay Services (VRS) in the UK—this work includes considering voluntary funding solutions for VRS. I will be meeting with UKCoD's DAC committee to discuss the findings of their work on 27 November.
	Ministers have also written to more than 80 businesses with public facing customer service functions to encourage them to have an accessible contact strategy in place that use a mix of e-mail, SMS, text, and video relay services to facilitate engagement with their disabled customers.

Telecommunications: Hearing Impairment

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps she has taken to encourage business and industry to buy video relay services.

Edward Vaizey: I, along with the former Minister for the Disabled, my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Esther McVey), wrote in May this year, to over 80 FTSE companies with public facing customer service functions to highlight the need for them to have accessible contact strategies that use a mix of email, SMS, text, and video relay services (VRS) to facilitate engagement with their disabled customers.
	So far BT, BskyB, Lloyds TSB, Halifax, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays Bank plc have all launched VRS schemes for their customers at the minimal cost of £10,000 to £20,000 each with the Post Office soon to launch a scheme for their customers as well.
	I will continue to press for more action in this area.

UK City of Culture: Londonderry

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to attend events in Londonderry as part of the UK City of Culture 2013 in that city.

Edward Vaizey: In my role as Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, I was on an official visit to Londonderry last week. DCMS officials have also visited Londonderry during its year as UK City of Culture.

Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department provides services to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales.

Helen Grant: My Department provides no services direct to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Registration Officers

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2013, Official Report, columns 131-3W, on electoral register, in which local authorities electoral registration officers did not meet performance standard 3 on house-to-house calls for non-registration in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 to date.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that its performance standard 3 aims to ensure that electoral registration officers (EROs) make the necessary house-to-house enquiries to ensure that all eligible residents are registered, in line with their legal duty to maintain the electoral registers. It is particularly important that in preparation for the transition to individual electoral registration (IER), EROs do all they can now to ensure that their registers are as accurate and complete as possible by taking all available steps—including carrying out house to house enquiries and using available local data to identify and target potential electors and to verify and validate data held on the electoral register—before the transition to IER begins.
	The EROs of the following local authorities did not meet performance standard 3 in 2012:
	Arun
	Braintree
	Broxbourne
	Castle Point
	East Devon
	East Dorset
	East Hampshire
	East Hertfordshire
	East Lindsey
	Eastbourne
	Great Yarmouth
	Gwynedd
	Lancaster
	Merthyr Tydfil
	Mid Devon
	Mid Sussex
	North Devon
	North Hertfordshire
	North Warwickshire
	Powys
	Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
	South Oxfordshire
	Taunton Deane
	Torbay
	Torridge
	Uttlesford
	Vale of White Horse
	West Devon
	West Oxfordshire
	West Somerset
	The 2013 annual canvass is still being carried out and will be completed with publication of the revised register by 17 February 2014 in England and by 10 March 2014 in Scotland and Wales. The Commission required all EROs to report on their performance prior to the start of the canvass, to confirm that arrangements were in place for the necessary house to house enquiries to be carried out, and has intervened where issues were identified and recommended improvements to be made before the completion of the canvass. In March 2014, the Commission will make a final assessment of performance for 2013, including an assessment of performance against performance standard 3, and will report on its conclusions.

JUSTICE

Freedom of Information Act 2000

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to extend the provisions of the act to all groups in receipt of public funding.

Shailesh Vara: We continue to review the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and we will consider the inclusion of other bodies in receipt of public funds where appropriate to do so.
	In our response to the Justice Select Committee's Post Legislative Scrutiny of the Act, we accepted the Committee's recommendation that contracts provide a more practical basis for applying FOI to outsourced services than designation under the Act. We will provide a revised Code of Practice to be issued under section 45 of the Act. This will promote openness by all contractors including through the use and enforcement of contractual transparency provisions to encourage still greater openness.
	Copies of the response to Post Legislative Scrutiny can be found in the House Library and at the following web address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/217298/gov-resp-justice-comm-foi-act.pdf

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in October 2013; in which (i) region, (ii) country and (iii) parliamentary constituency each of the suspected victims was found; and which agency referred each person to the Scheme.

Damian Green: In October 2013 there were 161 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by The Salvation Army. In the interests of victim safety only the region in which the victim was encountered is provided, and not the county or parliamentary constituency. Details are provided as follows.
	
		
			 Nationality Gender Region Agency type 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire NGO 
			 Albanian Female South East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female Not Known UKHTC 
			 Albanian Female Not Known UKHTC 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Albanian Female North East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East Legal Representative 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East Police 
			 Albanian Female South NGO 
			 Albanian Female South West NGO 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East NGO 
			 Albanian Female North West Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East Legal Representative 
			 Albanian Female South East NGO 
			 Albanian Female South East NGO 
			 Albanian Female South East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South NGO 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South NGO 
			 Bangladeshi Female Yorkshire Health Services 
		
	
	
		
			 Bangladeshi Male South NGO 
			 Bangladeshi Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 British Male West Midlands Self Referral 
			 British Male South Police 
			 Chinese Female South Home office 
			 Chinese Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Chinese Female West Midlands NGO 
			 Chinese Female South Police 
			 Chinese Female South West Police 
			 Chinese Female Not Known Home Office 
			 Czech Female North West Police 
			 Czech Male South Police 
			 Czech Male South West Police 
			 Czech Female North West Police 
			 Congolese Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Dutch Female South Self Referral 
			 Ethiopian Female South East Home Office 
			 Ethiopian Female North East Home Office 
			 Filipino Female South NGO 
			 Gambian Female South Self Referral 
			 Gambian Female South West Home Office 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male West Midlands Local Authority 
			 Hungarian Male West Midlands NGO 
			 Hungarian Male West Midlands NGO 
			 Hungarian Male West Midlands NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire Police 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire Police 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Indian Male North West Home Office 
			 Irish Male South West Police 
			 Ivorian Female South Home Office 
			 Ivorian Female South Home Office 
			 Kenyan Male South East Legal Representative 
			 Latvian Male South East Police 
			 Latvian Female South East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Female West Midlands NGO 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
		
	
	
		
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Latvian Female East Police 
			 Latvian Male East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male East GLA 
			 Lithuanian Male East GLA 
			 Lithuanian Male East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male East Police 
			 Lithuanian Female Yorkshire NGO 
			 Lithuanian Male South Police 
			 Malaysian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Moldovan Male East Police 
			 Nigerian Female South West NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South East Local Authority 
			 Nigerian Female North West Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South East NGO 
			 Nigerian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South Self Referral 
			 Nigerian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female East Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female West Midlands Legal Representative 
			 Pakistani Female South Self Referral 
			 Pakistani Female East Detention 
			 Polish Female South Police 
			 Polish Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Polish Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Polish Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Portuguese Male East Police 
			 Romanian Female South West NGO 
			 Romanian Female South West NGO 
			 Romanian Female West Midlands NGO 
			 Romanian Male East Police 
			 Romanian Female North East NGO 
			 Romanian Female South East NGO 
			 Romanian Male South East NGO 
			 Romanian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Romanian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Romanian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Romanian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Sierra Leonean Female West Midlands NGO 
			 Sierra Leonean Female South East NGO 
			 Slovakian Male Yorkshire Local Authority 
			 Slovakian Female Yorkshire Police 
			 Slovakian Male Yorkshire Prison 
			 Slovakian Female West Midlands Police 
			 Trinidadian Female South East Prison 
			 Turkish Female South East Local Authority 
			 Ukranian Female East Police 
			 American (USA) Female South East Prison 
		
	
	
		
			 Vietnamese Female South Legal Representative 
			 Vietnamese Male Wales Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Female South West Police 
			 Vietnamese Female Yorkshire Local Authority 
			 Vietnamese Female Wales Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Male West Midlands Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Female South NGO 
			 Vietnamese Male South Legal Representative 
			 Vietnamese Male Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Female South West Home Office 
			 Zimbabwean Male Yorkshire Home Office

Judiciary

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice of all applications in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date for vacancies for (i) the Supreme Court, (ii) judge advocates, (iii) deputy judge advocates, (iv) Lord Justices of Appeal, (v) High Court judges, (vi) heads of division, (vii) deputy district judges (magistrates' courts), (ix) masters, registrars, cost judges and district judges (Principal Registry of the Family Division), (x) deputy masters, (xi) deputy registrars, (xii) deputy costs judges and deputy district judges (Principal Registry of the Family Division), (xiii) circuit judges, (xiv) recorders, (xv) district judges (county courts), (xvi) deputy district judges (county courts), (xvii) district judges (magistrates' courts), (xviii) deputy district judges (magistrates' courts) and (xix) magistrates (A) were female, (B) had a disability or (C) were Black, Asian or minority ethnic.

Shailesh Vara: A more diverse judiciary is important in retaining the public’s confidence and trust in justice, and better reflecting the society it serves. The Government has made a number of changes through the Crime and Courts Act 2013 that we believe will promote judicial diversity. We have introduced part time working in the senior courts, including the Supreme Court, we have enabled the equal merit provision for judicial appointments to allow protected characteristics to be taken into account where two applicants are of equal merit, and a statutory duty for the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice to encourage judicial diversity.
	In order to protect the confidentiality of applicants, the diversity of applicants is not presented in recruitment exercises with fewer than 10 recommendations. This is consistent with the arrangements for official statistics published about judicial selection. As a result, results for Supreme Court, Heads of Division, masters, registrars, cost judges and district judges (Principal Registry of the Family Division), deputy masters, deputy registrars, deputy costs judges and deputy district judges (Principal Registry of the Family Division), will not be presented. In addition, there were no recruitment exercises for judge advocates or deputy judge advocates in the time period covered.
	There is no central record of this information for magistrates and to provide it would be at a disproportionate cost. It would require 47 local JP advisory committees to check the individual records of at least 6,000 applicants at an estimated cost of £12,500. The departmental threshold for refusal of a request for information on the grounds of disproportionate costs is £800. I am, therefore, unable to provide the requested information regarding applicants to magistrate posts.
	Results in 2013 to date are being published on 5 December at:
	http://jac.judiciary.gov.uk/about-jac/823.htm
	and will not be included in this PQ.
	For the other posts, the following tables show the number of women applicants, applicants from a BAME background, applicants with a disability and the total number of applicants for recruitment exercises with 10 or more recommendations which were completed between financial years 2010-11 and 2012-13. Please note the definition of the completion of an exercise changed in June 2012 from the date of the closedown report to the date the recommendations were sent to the Lord Chancellor’s report, in order to make the results more timely.
	Please note for Court of Appeal, the exercise in 2012-13 was the first to ask for diversity information. Please also note that information regarding disability was not asked for in some exercises.
	
		
			  Women BAME With a disability Total number of applicants 
			 Number of applicants for High Court Judge     
			 2010-11 15 6 n/a 90 
			 2012-13 14 2 1 81 
			      
			 Number of applicants for Recorders     
			 2010-11 110 65 n/a 496 
			 2011-12 497 192 46 1,430 
			      
			 Number of applicants for Circuit Judges     
			 2011-12 69 26 12 274 
			 2011-12 18 16 2 126 
			      
			 Number of applicants for District Judges (magistrates courts)     
			 2011-12 163 54 16 403 
			 2012-13 58 27 8 151 
			      
			 Number of applicants for District Judges (county courts)     
			 2011-12 218 69 19 483 
			      
			 Number of applicants for Deputy District Judges (magistrates courts)     
			 2012-13 611 263 49 1,467 
			      
			 Number of applicants for Deputy District Judges (county courts)     
			 2010-11 661 233 n/a 1,552 
			 2012-13 489 149 26 1,017 
			      
			 Court of Appeal     
			 2012-13 5 0 0 39

Ministers' Private Offices

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office.

Shailesh Vara: I refer the hon. Member to the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report column 398W.

Parole

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times people have opted-in to the probation victim contact scheme in each year since its establishment.

Jeremy Wright: The Probation Victim Contact Scheme (VCS), which was established in 2001, provides valuable support to victims of offenders who receive a sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more or a hospital order for a violent or sexual offence. The VCS enables victims to be informed of key stages of an offender's sentence, such as if they are transferred to open conditions or released. Victims also have the statutory right to make representations about the licence conditions to which the offender should be subject on release, to reassure and protect them.
	In cases where the offender's case is reviewed by the Parole Board, victims have a right to submit a victim personal statement to the Parole Board, setting out the impact of the offence against them, and what the impact of release will be. If the Parole Board holds an oral hearing, victims can apply to read their statement to the Parole Board panel. While the final decision will be for the Chair of the Parole Board panel, the presumption is that victims will be permitted to attend. The new Victims' Code, which was published on 20 October 2013, enshrines the entitlement for victims to make a VPS to the Parole Board.
	Eligible victims will be referred to probation trusts after sentence by the joint Police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) witness care units, unless the victim elects not to receive the VCS. Victims who do not wish to opt in immediately are made aware they can do so at any time during the offender's sentence. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has worked with the CPS to update guidance to staff reminding them of the need to offer and explain the VCS to eligible victims.
	The new Victims Code, to which I referred above, also includes information about the VCS, including how to opt in, and what information victims will receive about an offender's sentence.
	NOMS and the Probation Service are committed to ensuring that victims who are eligible to receive the services of the VCS are provided with all the information to help them make an informed choice about whether to opt in to the VCS. Some victims, however, and understandably, do not wish to be provided with information about the offender.
	Figures about the number of victims who are eligible to receive contact under the VCS or have opted into it are held locally by individual probation trusts and to collect them would incur disproportionate costs.

Prisons: Doncaster

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many staff from (a) the Prison Service or (b) his Department were involved in work related to the Doncaster cluster prison competition;
	(2)  how many staff of (a) the Prison Service or (b) his Department have been involved to date in work related to the Doncaster cluster prison competition.

Jeremy Wright: The Prison Competition programme did not recruit or employ staff solely to oversee the South Yorkshire prisons element of the competition (covering HMPs Hatfield, Moorland and Lindholme). The work regarding South Yorkshire was undertaken by the programme team running the wider prison competition.

Prisons: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times the National Tactical Response Group was called out to each prison in London in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service's National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) is a specialist resource to assist both public and private sector establishments in safely managing and resolving serious incidents in prisons.
	NTRG staff have been called to attend incidents at less than half of the total number of establishments in the past year. The number of callouts has been fairly consistent over the years in question, though there has been a slight rise in the number of callouts over recent months. This is mainly due to minor incidents such as prisoners protesting by climbing onto the netting between landings. NTRG staff have the specialist skills required to deal with such incidents which accounted for 69% of all the callouts in the past year, and they are frequently called to attend as a precautionary measure. Not all callouts result in engagement by NTRG staff, with a number of situations being resolved locally. Of the all the incidents NTRG attended up to 31 October 2013, 76% were resolved by surrender. There has been no rise in the number of serious incidents being attended.
	The following table sets out the occasions on which National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) has been called to attend each prison in the Greater London area in each of the years requested. The figures do not include aborted callouts:
	
		
			  2010 2011 2012 2013(1) 
			 Belmarsh 0 2 1 0 
			 Brixton 1 0 1 0 
			 Bronzefield 0 0 0 0 
			 Coldingley 1 2 1 2 
			 Downview 1 1 0 0 
			 Feltham 0 2 1 2 
			 Highdown 1 2 0 3 
			 Holloway 1 0 0 0 
			 Isis 1 2 1 2 
			 Pentonville 0 3 0 1 
			 Send 0 1 0 0 
			 Thameside 0 0 0 0 
			 Wandsworth 0 2 0 2 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 1 0 2 0 
			 (1 )To end October.

Prisons: Security

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by the National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and how many staff will have been employed by the NTRG in 2013-14.

Jeremy Wright: The following table provides the average number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed by the National Tactical Response for each of the following years: 2009-10; 2010-11; 2011-12; 2012-13; 2013-2014 (up to 31 October 2013).
	
		
			  NTRG—average FTE 
			 2009-10 30.45 
			 2010-11 30.56 
			 2011-12 29.50 
			 2012-13 31.58 
			 2013-14 (to 31 October 2013) 30.29 
		
	
	The National Offender Management Service's National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) is a specialist resource to assist both public and private sector establishments in safely managing and resolving serious incidents in prisons.

Victim Support

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects on each region of changing the funding formula of Victim Support;
	(2)  how much funding will be allocated to each region within the new funding structure for Victim Support.

Damian Green: More money than ever before will be available for services to support victims of crime, with a potential budget of up to £100 million. Changes to the Victim Surcharge will provide up to £50 million more per year for victims' services. This has the potential to double the Ministry of Justice's current spending of around £50 million on support provision.
	Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are best placed to understand the needs of victims in their communities which is why they will be responsible for commissioning local victims' services from October 2014 and will make decisions on which services will be commissioned in their area, based on the needs of the local community. Some services will be nationally commissioned by the Ministry of Justice such as services for victims of human trafficking and the homicide service.
	PCCs will be provided with a budget from the Ministry of Justice to commission victims' services and they were notified of the percentage allocation of the victims' services budget they will receive on 9 September 2013. The table is as follows. PCCs will be receiving their indicative budgets shortly.
	
		
			 Police force areas Population formula(1)(percentage) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2.86 
			 Bedfordshire 1.10 
			 Cambridgeshire 1.44 
			 Cheshire 1.82 
			 Cleveland 0.99 
			 Cumbria 0.88 
			 Derbyshire 1.81 
		
	
	
		
			 Devon and Cornwall 2.97 
			 Dorset 1.33 
			 Durham 1.10 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0.91 
			 Essex 3.08 
			 Gloucestershire 1.06 
			 Greater Manchester 4.78 
			 Gwent 1.02 
			 Hampshire 3.39 
			 Hertfordshire 2.00 
			 Humberside 1.63 
			 Kent 3.09 
			 Lancashire 2.59 
			 Leicestershire 1.81 
			 Lincolnshire 1.27 
			 Merseyside 2.45 
			 London (Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and City of London Police) 14.69 
			 Norfolk 1.53 
			 North Wales 1.22 
			 North Yorkshire 1.42 
			 Northamptonshire 1.24 
			 Northumbria 2.52 
			 Nottinghamshire 1.94 
			 South Wales 2.28 
			 South Yorkshire 2.39 
			 Staffordshire 1.95 
			 Suffolk 1.29 
			 Surrey 2.02 
			 Sussex 2.87 
			 Thames Valley 4.06 
			 Warwickshire 0.97 
			 West Mercia 2.17 
			 West Midlands 4.88 
			 West Yorkshire 3.96 
			 Wiltshire 1.22 
			 (1) Based on ONS’ Mid-2012 Population Estimates for England and Wales (aged 0+) rounded to 2 decimal places.

Victim Support Schemes

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding for victims' services was given to each police force area in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and what the funding will be for each such area from April 2014.

Damian Green: Under the current model by which the Ministry of Justice provides funding for victims’ services, funding is not directly or specifically given to, or allocated by police force area.
	The majority of Ministry of Justice funding for provision of victims and witness services since 2009-10 has been provided via a grant to Victim Support (£38.25 million in 2013-14). Under this model, support for victims in local areas is provided based on numbers of police and self referrals received, and the number and types of positive needs identified with victims on an individual basis. This grant also funds provision of the national Homicide Service, and the court based witness service.
	In addition, MOJ provides funding for a number of other organisations which support victims across different localities. This funding has been allocated to organisations based on identified needs rather than allocations by police force area.
	From 2014-15 onwards more money than ever before will be available for victims’ services, with a potential future total budget of up to £100 million per year.
	We are yet to finalise our 2014-15 allocations however our current forecast shows at least £75 million of funding of which £45,750 is to be spent on nationally commissioned support provision and £29,250 is to be allocated between PCCs. In 2014-15 PCCs will commission victim-led restorative justice and starting from 1 October 2014 they will also commission the majority of services for victims and witnesses. Our indicative budgets and percentage allocation for PCCs are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Police force areas Population formula (%)(1) 2014-15 indicative budget (£)(2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2.86% £835,000 
			 Bedfordshire 1.10 323,000 
			 Cambridgeshire 1.44 421,000 
			 Cheshire 1.82 533,000 
			 Cleveland 0.99 288,000 
			 Cumbria 0.88 258,000 
			 Derbyshire 1.81 529,000 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2.97 870,000 
			 Dorset 1.33 387,000 
			 Durham 1.10 320,000 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0.91 266,000 
			 Essex 3.08 900,000 
			 Gloucestershire 1.06 311,000 
			 Greater Manchester 4.78 1,397,000 
			 Gwent 1.02 298,000 
			 Hampshire 3.39 990,000 
			 Hertfordshire 2.00 583,000 
			 Humberside 1.63 476,000 
			 Kent 3.09 904,000 
			 Lancashire 2.59 757,000 
			 Leicestershire 1.81 530,000 
			 Lincolnshire 1.27 371,000 
			 Merseyside 2.45 716,000 
			 MOPAC/City 14.69 4,296,000 
			 Norfolk 1.53 447,000 
			 North Wales 1.22 357,000 
			 North Yorkshire 1.42 415,000 
			 Northamptonshire 1.24 362,000 
			 Northumbria 2.52 736,000 
			 Nottinghamshire 1.94 568,000 
			 South Wales 2.28 666,000 
			 South Yorkshire 2.39 699,000 
			 Staffordshire 1.95 569,000 
			 Suffolk 1.29 378,000 
			 Surrey 2.02 591,000 
			 Sussex 2.87 838,000 
			 Thames Valley 4.06 1,187,000 
			 Warwickshire 0.97 283,000 
			 West Mercia 2.17 635,000 
			 West Midlands 4.88 1,428,000 
			 West Yorkshire 3.96 1,158,000 
			 Wiltshire 1.22 356,000 
			 Total  (3)29,250,00 
			 (1) Based on ONS' Mid-2012 Population Estimates for England and Wales (aged 0+) 2 Rounded down to the nearest £1,000 (3) Rounded to the nearest £50,000

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Armed Forces: Deployment

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she plans to visit the Military Stabilisation and Support Group.

Alan Duncan: DFID has strong links with the Military Stabilisation Support Group (MSSG) and the military more broadly. The Department works closely with MSSG given its important role in providing military support for stabilisation, peace-building and state-building activities.

Developing Countries: Childbirth

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of changes in maternal and newborn survival rates in those countries where her Department works; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The 2012 'Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Neonatal and Child Survival' report shows that maternal and child survival are improving in a number of countries where DFID works. Global child mortality rates have nearly halved since 1990, and recent data show that Liberia has halved child mortality in just over 10 years, and has achieved the child mortality millennium development goal. However, progress has been variable across countries and more is needed.

Israel

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian needs of displaced Bedouin from the Neqab; what assessment she has made of the reasons for their displacement; and whether she has raised that matter with the Israeli Government.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not operate in Israel and has therefore made no assessment of the humanitarian needs of the Negev/al-Naqab Bedouin. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has raised concerns about forced relocation of Bedouin communities with the Israeli authorities, with a view to agreeing a lasting and satisfactory solution to this complex issue.

Philippines

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how funding by the Ministry of Defence as part of the UK response to Typhoon Haiyan is (a) accredited towards the UK international aid target and (b) will be reimbursed to the Ministry of Defence by her Department.

Alan Duncan: In accordance with official development assistance guidelines set by the OECD, DFID will reimburse the MOD its marginal operating costs for any assets used to support the UK Government's humanitarian work.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Aluminium: EU Action

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the effects of EU policy relating to aluminium of the global competitiveness of the EU aluminium industry. [R]

Michael Fallon: The Government has been engaging with the European Commission on the state aid aspects of our plans to compensate Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs), including aluminium, for the indirect costs of the Carbon Price Floor. This sector is already being compensated for the indirect cost of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to address concerns of carbon leakage.
	We have also been engaging with a range of EU member states, including Germany and France, on issues of competitiveness for EIIs impacted by climate change and energy policies.

Aluminium: Industry

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support the aluminium industry.

Michael Fallon: UK aluminium companies can access help and advice to grow their business through ‘GREAT’
	www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
	or
	www.gov.uk
	eligible businesses can gain support in areas such as running, funding, staffing and expanding a business. The Government funded Manufacturing Advisory Service provides practical support on all aspects of manufacturing, including direct access to manufacturing experts with a proven track record
	www.mymas.org/services
	There is also support available from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for those companies wishing to grow through international trade.
	Investment support is available through the Regional Growth Fund. Round 5 is now open until 9 December for bids of £1 million but smaller bids are also supported by the fund through existing programmes.
	In terms of energy costs and climate change policy, we recognise the unique circumstances of energy intensive industries such as the aluminium sector which are both large consumers of energy and exposed to international competition.
	Therefore, the Government has put in place a £420 million compensation package for energy intensive industries including the aluminium industry and we have already started compensating aluminium companies for the indirect costs of the EU Emissions Trading System. From 2014 the UK is also exempting mineralogical and metallurgical processes from the Climate Change Levy as allowed for under the Energy Taxation Directive.
	In addition we have consulted on our proposal to exempt Energy Intensive Industries from the costs of Contracts for Difference as part of Electricity Market Reform. We are analysing results of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.

Education: Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how Milton Keynes College has performed against its contracted performance targets in the delivery of education services in HMP Oakwood since that prison opened;
	(2)  on what occasions providers of prison education services in England and Wales have not met their contracted performance targets in each of the last five years; and what financial penalties were incurred in each such case.

Matthew Hancock: I am replying as Minister responsible for prison education in England.
	I have asked the interim Chief Executive of Skills Funding Agency to write to the right hon. Member with details of education contract performance at HMP Oakwood and across England more generally. I will place a copy of that letter in the Libraries of the House.
	In Wales, education in the public sector prisons is delivered through funding from the Welsh Government.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, columns 663-4W, when the names of companies receiving compensation will be published.

Michael Fallon: We will publish names of companies receiving compensation for the indirect costs of the EU Emissions Trading System by the end of the financial year.

Exports

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the value of exports from each English region in the most recent year in (a) total, (b) total by sector and (c) total per head of population.

Michael Fallon: The value of goods exports by region is published by HMRC; no reliable estimate of the value of services exports by region is available. The following table shows the value of goods exports by English region and the value per head of population for 2012. Data for 2012 are provisional.
	
		
			 Exports of goods by English region, value and value per head of population, 2012 
			  Export value, 2012 (£ million) Resident population, mid-2012 (million) Export value per head of population, 2012 (£) 
			 North East 13,852 2.6 5,323 
			 North West 25,899 7.1 3,656 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 16,344 5.3 3,074 
			 East Midlands 18,705 4.6 4,095 
			 West Midlands 22,640 5.6 4,012 
			 East 27,640 5.9 4,679 
			 London 40,011 8.3 4,816 
			 South East 45,381 8.7 5,201 
			 South West 12,663 5.3 2,372 
			     
			 England 223,134 53.5 4,171 
			 Source: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics and Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates. 
		
	
	Regional data on exports by industry sector is not available. HMRC produce data on value of goods exported by the type of commodity; this data is shown in the following table by English region.
	
		
			 Exports of goods by English region and type of commodity, value, 2012 (£ million) 
			 Standard International Trade Classification North East North West Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands 
			 0—Food and live animals 44 1,100 760 752 545 
			 1—Beverages and tobacco 9 196 24 90 53 
			 2—Crude materials, inedible, except fuels 59 2,015 711 506 877 
		
	
	
		
			 3—Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 133 566 3,483 16 120 
			 4—Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 0 33 127 6 14 
			 5—Chemicals and related products, not elsewhere specified 3,958 12,513 2,673 1,299 1,246 
			 6—Manufactured goods classified by material 1,331 2,472 3,174 1,622 3,184 
			 7—Machinery and transport equipment 7,808 5,193 4,062 12,157 15,011 
			 8—Miscellaneous manufactured articles 452 1,743 1,249 2,216 1,539 
			 9—Commodities not classified elsewhere 58 67 79 41 52 
			       
			 All commodities 13,852 25,899 16,344 18,705 22,640 
			 Source: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			 Exports of goods by English region and type of commodity, value, 2012 (£ million) 
			 Standard International Trade Classification East London South East South West England 
			 0—Food and live animals 1,349 960 1,191 521 7,223 
			 1—Beverages and tobacco 132 1,511 212 95 2,320 
			 2—Crude materials, inedible, except fuels 566 884 843 336 6,798 
			 3—Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 4,457 9,295 5,147 6 23,224 
			 4—Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 40 56 74 4 355 
			 5—Chemicals and related products, not elsewhere specified 4,730 2,228 8,710 748 38,107 
			 6—Manufactured goods classified by material 2,649 8,425 2,253 1,218 26,329 
			 7—Machinery and transport equipment 10,092 4,775 20,078 7,781 86,956 
			 8—Miscellaneous manufactured articles 3,442 11,670 6,367 1,915 30,592 
			 9—Commodities not classified elsewhere 181 206 506 39 1,231 
			       
			 All commodities 27,640 40,011 45,381 12,663 223,134 
			 Source: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of each local enterprise partnership; what steps his Department is taking to encourage all local enterprise partnerships to adopt best practices; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government does not carry out formal assessments of the effectiveness of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) as they are voluntary local partnerships and not agencies of Government. They are first and foremost accountable to their local community and local businesses. In terms of encouraging best practices, BIS local teams have successfully built strong relationships with LEPs and local government to help them build their capability and capacity, and to help them understand and link with national priorities.

NHS: Innovation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings his Department has had with the Department of Health on introducing an uptake rule for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved diagnostic technologies to support the objective of the Government's Strategy for UK Life Sciences to promote innovation in the NHS.

David Willetts: The Ministerial Medical Technology Strategy Group (MMTSG) meeting held on 6 November 2013 considered proposals from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regarding the assessment of medical technologies in general. The meeting was attended by representatives of NICE and industry, as well as Department of Health (DH) and Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Ministers. DH and BIS ministers have also discussed the wider topic of assessment of medical technologies at a subsequent meeting on 12 November 2013.
	In addition, BIS and DH officials are in regular contact regarding the implementation of the Government's Strategy for UK Life Sciences, and the promotion of innovation in the national health service.

Students: Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of how much will be repaid on fee loans by graduates starting their degree course in 2013 by each decile of average lifetime earnings.

David Willetts: We currently estimate that students who started their study in 2013 will not repay around 35-40% of the value of their student loans, reflecting the progressive nature of the system.
	Our student loan repayment forecasts do not consider average lifetime earnings, as student loan repayments are capped at the level of the debt. Once the debt is paid off the borrower exits the repayment system, and there is no reason to track a person's income over their whole lifetime. Similarly, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not forecast earnings beyond the estimated point of repayment or write-off of a loan. Consequently, estimates by decile of average lifetime earnings are not available from the Department.
	However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies have carried out research which may be of interest at the following URLs.
	The Distributional Impact of the 2012-13 Higher Education Funding Reforms in England:
	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-5890.2012.00159.x/pdf
	IFS Briefing Note 113:
	http://www.ifs.org.uk/bns/bn113.pdf

Students: Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library an updated version of the ready reckoner on students loans and debt repayment published in 2010 reflecting his most recent estimate on future earnings, fees and RAB charges.

David Willetts: An updated version of the ready reckoner, now called the simplified loan repayment model was published in summer 2012 on the
	www.gov.uk
	website. I will arrange to have another updated version published in the near future which will reflect the latest available figures for ONS outturn and OBR forecasts, concerning RPI and earnings.

UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 263W, on UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation, in which countries UKTI Defence and Security Organisation is supporting commercial campaigns in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: UKTI DSO is currently supporting Defence and security commercial campaigns and prospects in the following countries:
	Algeria
	Australia
	Austria
	Bahrain
	Bangladesh
	Belgium
	Brazil
	Brunei
	Canada
	Chile
	China
	Colombia
	Denmark
	Estonia
	France
	Germany
	Ghana
	Hong Kong
	India
	Indonesia
	Iraq
	Italy
	Japan
	Kazakhstan
	Kuwait
	Libya
	Malaysia
	Mexico
	Mongolia
	New Zealand
	Nigeria
	Norway
	Oman
	Pakistan
	Peru
	Philippines
	Poland
	Qatar
	Romania
	Saudi Arabia
	Singapore
	South Africa
	South Korea
	Sweden
	Switzerland
	Taiwan
	Thailand
	Trinidad and Tobago
	Turkey
	UAE
	USA
	Vietnam.
	The list is not exhaustive as UKTI may offer assistance in further markets, in accordance with its aim to help UK companies to export.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Caravan Sites

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulation governing the protection of caravan owners on holiday parks.

Kris Hopkins: All caravan holiday parks are required to be licensed by local authorities under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. Pitch agreements between holiday caravan owners and site owners are subject to the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, which protects consumers from enforceability of unfair terms in contracts.

Council Housing: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many council houses were built in (a) Test Valley Borough Council area and (b) New Forest District Council area in the three years to August 2013;
	(2)  how many council houses have been built in the last three years up to August 2013 in Gosport Borough Council area;
	(3)  how many council houses have been built in the last three years up to August 2013 in Fareham Borough Council area;
	(4)  how many council houses have been built in the last three years up to August 2013 in Havant Borough Council area;
	(5)  how many council houses have been built in the last three years up to August 2013 in Southampton City Council area;
	(6)  how many council houses have been built in the last three years up to August 2013 in New Forest District Council area;
	(7)  how many social housing units have been built in each of the last three years in the Gosport Borough Council area;
	(8)  how many social housing units have been built in each of the last three years in the Fareham Borough Council area;
	(9)  how many social housing units have been built in each of the last three years in the Havant Borough Council area;
	(10)  how many social housing units have been built in each of the last three years in the Southampton City Council area.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, column 337W.

EU Grants and Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) value and (b) proportion of European Regional Development Fund monies allocated to the UK with match funding in place has been contractually committed in (i) each English region and (ii) total to date.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is provided in the following table for the 2007-13 European Regional Development Fund Programme. The “contractually committed” figures are up to 31 October 2013. All contractually committed funding has had match funding identified so no separate figures are shown for this. Fluctuations in the exchange rate have significantly increased the sterling allocation since the programme began in 2007.
	The 2007-13 programme is on course and on track. An average of over 100% of the programme has been contractually committed or is under consideration, with match funding in place. In the south-east, we are working with partners and hope to be able to commit to 100% by the end of December. We are exactly where we would expect to be at this point in the seven-year programme.
	Funds can be allocated until the end of 2013, and funds should be spent by 2015.
	
		
			  East Midlands East London North East North West South East 
			 Total programme allocation (€ million) 268.496 110.995 181.889 375.699 755.755 23.706 
			 Total programme allocation (£ million) 224.747 92.565 156.005 319.241 641.348 19.798 
			 Contractually committed (£ million) 192.04 90.537 145.801 293.239 604.545 16.209 
			 Contractually committed (%) 85.45 97.96 93.46 91.86 94.26 81.88 
			 Contractually committed and under consideration (%) 100.81 108.96 104.22 100.28 108.98 94.00 
		
	
	
		
			  South West competitiveness South West convergence (Cornwall and Isles of Scilly) West Midlands Yorkshire and the Humber Total 
			 Total programme allocation (€ million) 124.658 458.057 399.9 583.581 3865.45 
			 Total programme allocation (£ million) 104.075 385.088 334.107 489.582 3255.72 
			 Contractually committed (£ million) 100.409 352.331 292.089 406.247 2946.189 
			 Contractually committed (%) 96.48 91.49 87.42 82.98 90.13 
			 Contractually committed and under consideration (%) 101.79 103.26 101.11 108.81 104.89

Families: Disadvantaged

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he intends to publish the (a) first interim report by the Ecorys UK consortium on the Troubled Families programme and (b) official statistics on the Troubled Families programme.

Kris Hopkins: The independent evaluation of the Troubled Families programme is currently under way and my Department will publish initial findings in 2014.
	The latest progress information, including families turned around, was published on 25 November and is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/troubled-families-progress-information-at-september-2013-and-families-turned-around-at-october-2013
	This information is updated quarterly and constitutes management information, rather than official statistics.

Housing: Construction

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average time taken is for a large housing scheme to go through the planning appeals procedures.

Nicholas Boles: During the period from 1 November 2012 to 31 October 2013 the average time to decide appeals for all procedures concerning schemes of 10 or more houses, where the responsibility for the decision rests with the Planning Inspectorate, was 23 weeks.
	The Planning Inspectorate is continually looking at ways to make the planning system work more efficiently and effectively. following a technical review of planning appeals procedures we have introduced a number of initiatives designed to streamline the planning appeals process to enable quicker decision making.
	Under the new arrangements that came into effect in October this year, it is the Planning Inspectorate's objective to decide appeals involving written representations within 14 weeks, appeals that require a hearing within 14 weeks and appeals that require a public inquiry within 22 weeks.

Housing: Construction

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of current new build homes are specifically designed for those aged 60 and over.

Kris Hopkins: DCLG does not collect information on the proportion of new build homes specifically designed for those aged 60 and over.

Housing: Construction

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many public sector land sites have been (a) identified and (b) released for the purpose of new housing developments since 2010;
	(2)  how many houses were built on released public sector land sites in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how many are expected to be built on such sites in 2013.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 2 December 2013
	The Public Sector Land Programme is designed to accelerate the release of central Government land to the private sector and deliver on its an ambition to dispose of land with capacity for 100,000 homes by the end of March 2015. Since 2010, 733 surplus public sector sites have been identified and as of 30 September 2013, 385 sites had been sold, capable of delivering 62,306 homes. We do not collect data on the number of homes built on these sites.

Housing: Construction

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing unit buildings starts there have been in each of the last five years.

Kris Hopkins: Statistics on house building starts for England are published in the Department's live table 208, which are available at the following link:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Housing: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the future growth in London's housing stock will be.

Kris Hopkins: DCLG does not produce statistics on future housing stock.

Housing: Overcrowding

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department gives to a large family in overcrowded housing who cannot access the recommended size of property due to a lack of supply.

Kris Hopkins: The social housing reforms in the Localism Act have given local authorities and social landlords the tools they need to tackle overcrowding, while retaining the ‘reasonable preference’ provisions in the allocation legislation which ensure that overcrowded families continue to get priority for social housing. HomeSwap Direct is there to make it easier for overcrowded social tenants to swap with those who want to downsize. The removal of the spare room subsidy also encourages the more effective use of social housing, by addressing the under-occupation of family homes.
	Our Affordable Homes programme is on track to deliver 170,000 new affordable homes between 2011 and 2015, with £19.5 billion of public and private funding—half way through 98,700 homes have already been delivered. A further £23 billion will help ensure another 165,000 new affordable homes are started between 2015 and 2018. This will be the fastest annual rate of building for at least 20 years.

ICT

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are employed within centralised IT departments or teams in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: 28 people are employed in the central IT team. Many of the Department's IT support services are outsourced. However, we retain an in-house function covering areas including: IT project management, systems architecture, service and account management and support for our critical business application systems.

Leasehold

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it easier for leaseholders to manage their properties.

Kris Hopkins: Private sector leaseholders already have a range of rights in relation to the management of their property, including the statutory "Right to Manage." The Government has no current plans to bring forward additional legislation.

Vacant Land

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the use of greenfield sites.

Nicholas Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework, issued in March 2012, maintains strong protections for green belt, national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and sites of special scientific interest. The framework also requires local authorities to recognise the character and beauty of the countryside, to encourage re-use of brownfield land if not of high environmental value, to support biodiversity, and to take into account the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land.
	The framework also allows councils to introduce a new Local Green Space designation, to provide additional planning protection for green areas which are demonstrably special to a local community and hold particular local significance.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with bioliquids producers on the inclusion of support for used cooking oil-derived bioliquids in electricity market reform.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2013, Official Report, column 1031W, to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Tom Greatrex).

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Gregory Barker: The Department enables employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries, to charities of their choice, through payroll.
	The Department supports employees to make such contributions through a number of workplace giving schemes, such as 'Charities Aid Foundation', 'Give as You Earn Scheme' or the Charity for Civil Servants, with guidance on the departmental intranet and through hosting workplace giving visits.

Energy: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on energy pricing and investment in green technology.

Michael Fallon: Energy policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. DECC Ministers and officials have had a number of discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive about a range of energy issues.

Energy: Prices

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with groups representing older people on providing support to older people who are having difficulty paying their energy bills.

Michael Fallon: The Department works closely with a range of groups representing the elderly and vulnerable.
	The coalition Government is strongly committed to supporting older and vulnerable people keep warm. We have a wide range of policies that provide assistance to those in need. These include the Energy Company Obligation and the Warm Home Discount.
	Each year under ECO we will provide targeted assistance to some 230,000 low income and vulnerable households, including pensioner households. Under the Warm Home Discount, 2 million households receive help when they need it most. This year, well over 1 million of the poorest pensioners will receive an automatic discount of £135 on their electricity bill. Most of these discounts have already been credited to accounts.
	We also providing extra help and advice to vulnerable consumers, including those who are elderly, through the Big Energy Saving Network. This will help consumers to engage with the energy market and to give them the confidence to take decisions that will reduce their bills.
	The Department of Health's cold weather plan, supported by the Keep Warm Keep Well campaign, sets out a series of clear actions to minimise the health impact of severe winter weather on the elderly and vulnerable was published in early November.
	We also continue to provide winter fuel payments and cold weather payments. Last winter, £2.15 billion of winter fuel payments were made to 12.5 million pensioners. And nearly £150 million worth of cold weather payments were made, including to the elderly and vulnerable during periods of very cold weather.

ICT

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people are employed within centralised IT departments or teams in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: There are 19 IT staff working in the Department of Energy and Climate Change. This is made up of 11 staff working in the central IT department, and a further eight embedded within local teams supporting specific business applications. The central IT department supports 1,765 users.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010.

Gregory Barker: The number of civil servants who have been seconded to an organisation in the private sector from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Year secondment commenced Number of civil servants 
			 2010 3 
			 2011 1 
			 2012 1 
			 2013 5 
		
	
	No civil servants have been seconded from DECC to any trade union.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in his Department since 2010.

Gregory Barker: No people have been seconded to the Department of Energy and Climate Change from either (a) trade unions or (b) the voluntary sector since 2010.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision by RWE not to proceed with the Atlantic Array offshore wind project on (a) UK industrial capability in the offshore wind industry, (b) the supply chain within the industry and (c) the UK's competitiveness in the offshore wind industry.

Michael Fallon: No assessment of the UK's offshore wind industrial capability or supply chain has been made as a result of RWE's decision on Atlantic Array. The UK remains the world leader in offshore wind deployment with almost 4 GW in operation, and almost 50 GW in leased sites.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to determine whether the Atlantic Array offshore wind project could go ahead with another company; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Any decision on rights to the Bristol Channel Zone, which includes the Atlantic Array wind farm area, is a matter for the Crown Estate.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with RWE on its decision not to proceed with the Atlantic Array offshore wind project; and whether he has received reports that the announcement by the Prime Minister to review green levies played a part in the decision by the company not to proceed.

Michael Fallon: RWE has stated that the decision not to proceed with the Atlantic Array offshore wind project was made due to technical challenges within the Bristol Channel Zone.

DEFENCE

Arms Trade

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which export promotion teams including Ministry of Defence or military personnel have been established for (a) the Eurofighter Typhoon, (b) combat ships, (c) submarines and (d) complex weapons; and when each such team was set up.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence does not currently have any export promotion teams for defence equipment. The task of promotion of defence equipment is undertaken by UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation, this includes the Export Support Team staffed by military personnel and is supported by the Ministry of Defence in this undertaking.

Military Aircraft

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 1937W, on RAF Lyneham, when a decision was made about the aircraft's future; what public announcement was made following this decision; what his policy is on protecting the nation's aviation history and heritage; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: Comet aircraft C2 XK699, the gate guardian at the former RAF Lyneham, was sold by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection (a registered charity) on 4 November 2013. The MOD did not announce the sale of this airframe but it was reported in the local media which welcomed the sale.
	The RAF Heritage Strategy is, where possible, to preserve one of each aircraft type in the National Collection. The RAF Museum has a Comet aircraft on display at its Cosford site.
	Furthermore the MOD sponsors the National Museum of the Royal Navy (that includes the Fleet Air Arm Museum), the National Army Museum, the Royal Air Force Museum and the Army Air Corp Museum.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military aircraft the traffic collision avoidance system have installed.

Philip Dunne: The following military aircraft are fitted with an aircraft collision avoidance system (ACAS):
	C-17
	C-130
	A400M
	Tristar
	Hawk TMk2
	King Air
	Grob Tutor
	E-3D Sentry
	Bae 146
	Bae 125
	Shadow
	Sentinel
	Airseeker
	Voyager
	Avenger T Mk1
	Defender
	Islander(1)
	Tucano
	Squirrel
	Griffin HT Mk1.
	(1) Depending on Mk, some still to be fitted
	In addition, contracts have been placed for the following aircraft to be fitted with an ACAS:
	Griffin HAR Mk2
	Wildcat HMAMk2
	Dauphin N2
	Lynx 9a
	Wildcat AH Mk1
	Dauphin N3.
	A Tornado traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) has been developed which is expected to achieve initial operating capability by the end of next year.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the standard operating procedure is for activating the traffic collision avoidance system for RAF aircraft in (a) combat and (b) training missions.

Philip Dunne: The standard operating procedure for all RAF aircraft fitted with an Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) is for it to be switched on prior to take-off and not switched off until after landing. There is no variation from these procedures while on operations.
	The only exceptions are during Air-to-Air Refuelling and close formation flying involving ACAS equipped aircraft, where the operating procedures require the leader of the formation to retain normal operation of the ACAS while the remaining formation elements switch ACAS to standby. This also allows the combination of aircraft to be considered as a single unit.

Reserve Forces

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many annual reservist deployments his Department anticipates following the implementation of Army 2020 and Future Reserves 2020.

Mark Francois: The future manning structure of the UK armed forces is informed by assumptions made within the current Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). We have been clear that they will be expected to deploy in a range of roles covering the tasks and commitments set out in the SDSR. Given the difficulty of predicting the precise regularity, duration or tempo of potential future operations, it is equally difficult to predict the regularity of reservist deployments.
	However, if the Ministry of Defence is engaged on major operations, our estimate—as set out in the Defence Reform Bill's impact assessment— suggests that there could be up to 3,000 individual reservist deployments a year, a figure 20% over the current norm. This estimate reflects the increased role reservists will have in the future.
	As the White Paper ‘Reserves in the Future Force 2020: Valued and Valuable’, (Cm 8655) published in July 2013, made clear, in respect of mobilisations, under the future Army Reserves Structure, Reserve units will move through a training and readiness cycle. The structure is designed to provide a sustainable cycle of up to one six month deployment in any five year period. The full 30,000 would only be deployed in the event of a full-scale national emergency.

Shipbuilding

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 704W, on shipbuilding, what uses his Department will make of buildings no longer used for shipbuilding that are to be returned to his Department.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) current planning assumption is that the facilities leased by BAE Systems for warship building in Portsmouth will be returned to the Department when this activity ceases in the second half of 2014.
	The MOD is looking at options regarding their future use. Some will continue to be used to service the support requirements of the warships based in Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth and others will be optimised to deliver the greater volume of engineering work arising when the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers arrive in the base.
	Once this options analysis work is complete, the MOD will seek to establish the extent to which there may be scope to make wider commercial use of any surplus facilities.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the installation of the traffic collision avoidance system was first recommended for the Tornado fast jet fleet; by whom it was recommended; and how much work has been undertaken to install it to date;
	(2)  what the estimate was of the cost of installing the Traffic Collision Avoidance System on the Tornado fast jet fleet when it was first recommended; and what his latest estimate is on the cost of that installation.

Philip Dunne: A commercial off the shelf traffic collision avoidance system was identified as a potential solution to the Department's requirement for a collision warning system on the Tornado GR4 fast jet fleet by the Deep Target Attack Capability Sponsor as part of the Department's 2008 annual planning process. Development and manufacture costs of the system were estimated at £59.15 million.
	In January 2012 the Investment Approvals Committee considered a submission on a collision warning system for Tornado GR4 and directed the project to proceed to Main Gate. Approval for the installation of a traffic collision avoidance system on the Tornado GR4 fast jet at a cost of £53.46 million was given in October 2012. The current forecast for this activity remains at £53.46 million.
	Following contract award with BAE Systems in December 2012, detailed design on the installation of the traffic collision avoidance system on the Tornado GR4 began. Two aircraft were delivered to BAE Systems, Warton in August 2013 for the trial installation of the modification. The first of these aircraft will commence ground trials in February 2014 and flight trials during March/April 2014. The programme remains on track to meet its in service date by the end of December 2014.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Board of Inquiry's findings into the collision of two Tornado jets on 3 July 2012 over the Moray Firth.

Mark Francois: The service inquiry into this accident is now complete and a copy of the report has been provided to the Procurator Fiscal, who determines whether a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) will be held and sets the date. A copy of the report will be placed in the Library of the House following either the completion of a FAI or the Procurator Fiscal's decision not to hold one.

Trident Submarines

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each of the contracts currently placed by his Department to develop a replacement for the Trident nuclear submarine which is covered by commercial confidentiality restrictions on disclosure of contract details

Philip Dunne: There is a standard Defence Condition (DEFCON 521) on the disclosure of information that is mandated for all Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts. This condition places duties of confidentiality on both parties to the contract, but makes clear that the MOD is required to comply with its statutory duties. When requests are received for contract details, decisions on their disclosure are made on a case by case basis, taking account of the commercial sensitivity, as well as other applicable exemptions and exceptions.
	The list of contracts to develop the replacement for the Trident nuclear submarine will take time to prepare. I will write, to the extent possible, while not breaching commercial confidentiality or national security considerations, to the hon. Member with this information.
	Substantive answer from Philip Dunne to Paul Flynn:
	In my written answer to your Parliamentary Question on 20(th) November 2013, (Official Report, column 918W), I promised to write to you with a list of contracts relating to the replacement for the Vanguard Class submarines. I am now in a position to supply you with the following list of contracts:
	
		
			 Contract Description 
			 1 Design Phase—BAES 
			 2 Design Phase—Babcock 
			 3 Design Phase—Rolls Royce 
			 4 Design Phase—Collaboration 
			 5 Mast Raising 
			 6 Submarine Communications Technology Demonstrator Programme 
			 7 Retention of Astute Test Rig 
			 8 Submarine Communications 
			 9 Safety and Environment 
			 10 Strategic Weapon System Safety 
			 11 Strategic Weapon System Requirements 
			 12 Pressure Hull Materials 
			 13 Pressure Hull Glands 
			 14 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services 
			 15 Composites Programme (Technology Demonstrator Programme) 
			 16 Successor Facilities—Barrow 
			 17 Extension Engineering Assurance 
			 18 Costs and Tools 
			 19 Signatures 
			 20 Requirements and Standards 
			 21 Technical Assurance and Non Acoustic Signature 
			 22 Electrical Actuator Future Work 
			 23 Equipment Security Grading 
			 24 Electro Magnetic Silencing 
			 25 Electro Magnetic Silencing 
			 26 Successor Stage 3 Environmental Shock Grade Curve Activities 
			 27 Spatial Governance Technical Support 
			 28 Variable Pressure Hydraulics Decision Support 
			 29 Electromagnetic Silencing 
			 30 Countermeasures Deployment Studies 
			 31 Support to Signature Management 
			 32 Core Task 
			 33 Composite Task 
			 34 Adviser Team to Future Submarine 
			 35 Signature support to Future Submarine Project Team 
			 36 Future Capability Support 
			 37 Infrastructure Assessment Study 
			 38 Capability System Requirement Document 
			 39 Technology Assessment of Countermeasure Launcher capability 
			 40 Provision of Signature Support 
			 41 Provision of Subject Matter Expert Support 
			 42 Submarine Communications Subject Matter Expert Technical Support 
			 43 Successor Propulsor and Hydrodynamics 
			 44 Independent Technical and Programme Support 
			 45 Electrical and Whole Boat 
			 46 Multi Function Broad Spectrum Array and Future Telemetry System trials 
			 47 Next Generation Nuclear Propulsion Plant Phase 9 
			 48 Next Generation Nuclear Propulsion Plant Phase 10 onwards 
			 49 Independent Nuclear Propulsion Advice and Assessment 
			 50 Submarines Support Partner Task

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what interest the UK has in the X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The UK has no formal links specifically with the X-47B programme but maintains an interest in developments through an Information Exchange Agreement with the US on unmanned air systems in general.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency medicine consultants have (a) opted not to practise, (b) retired and (c) left to work overseas in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not held centrally.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the report by the Care Quality Commission, The State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England, on the number of people relying on a top-up to pay for a residential care home places; and how many local authorities build in regular reviews to check whether third parties are able and willing to pay such top-ups for these residents;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the estimate in the Care of Elderly People UK Market Survey by Laing and Buisson, published in January 2013, that the average amount paid by local authorities for residential care in 2012 was around £50 to £140 per week below a fair market price; if he will issue revised guidance to local authorities to ensure they have regard to the actual cost of providing care locally in care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: According to the responses to the survey conducted by the Care Quality Commission for its report ‘The State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England 2012/13’ the proportion of care home places that are local authority funded with a top-up is 10.2% of filled places. This compares with the 44.7% of filled places funded by local authorities without a top-up.
	Under ‘The National Assistance Act 1948 (Choice of Accommodation) Directions 1992’, an authority must contract for the full cost of accommodation arranged under the 1948 Act, including any top-up. To safeguard both residents and authorities from entering arrangements which are likely to fail, paragraph 11.3 says that authorities should satisfy themselves that there is every chance that the third party will continue to have the resources to make the required payments. It is for individual local authorities to decide how they do this and the Department does not monitor them.
	Contracting arrangements between local authorities and independent sector providers of care are a matter for local negotiation. However, statutory guidance in Local Authority Circular LAC(2004)20, says that in setting their rates authorities should have due regard to the actual cost of providing care and other local factors. The guidance also says that authorities should be able to demonstrate that their rates are sufficient to provide residents with the level of care services they could reasonably expect if the possibility of a top-up did not exist.
	Under the Care Bill we plan to replace the Choice of Accommodation Directions with regulations and issue revised guidance. The new regulations and guidance will be published for consultation.

Care Homes

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the rise in the number of council-funded residents who live in residential care and now rely on a top-up to cover the full costs of their care home place; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: People supported by a local authority have the right to choose which care home they go into, subject to certain conditions. This includes the right to choose to enter a care home that costs more than the amount the local authority would usually pay to meet their needs, provided someone is willing and able to pay the difference between the local authority fee and what the care home charges.
	Information about the number of people topping-up their care home fees is not collected centrally. However, as part of the preparation of its report ‘The State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England 2012/13’ the Care Quality Commission (CQC) worked with care home providers, assisted by the Care Provider Alliance, to collect data on how care in care homes is funded.
	The CQC received a total of 5,077 valid submissions describing 177,643 registered care home places of which 156,151 were filled. The data showed that the proportion of filled care home places that are local authority funded with a top-up is 10.2%. This compares with the 44.7% of filled places funded by local authorities without a top-up. A further 9.1% of filled places are funded through NHS Continuing Healthcare and 36% by people paying for their own care.

Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment 
	(1)  he has made of the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in reducing the recurrence rate of depression over a 12-month period;
	(2)  what comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and (b) anti-depressants in treating repeat episode depression over a long-term period.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no such assessment. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has evaluated and recommends the use of mindfulness-based therapies as a psychological intervention for the prevention of relapse within its guideline “Depression: the treatment and management of depression in adults (2009)”

General Practitioners: East Midlands

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of full-time equivalent GPs per 1,000 patients in (a) Nottingham and (b) the East Midlands in each year since 2009.

Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) General and Personal Medical Services Statistics show the number of general practitioners (GPs) per 1,000 registered patients at 30 September each year. The latest available statistics are as at 30 September 2012. The HSCIC will publish headcount numbers of GPs per 1,000 patients as at 30 September 2013 in the NHS annual workforce census in March 2014 and full-time equivalent (FTE) figures will be available on request after that date.
	The number of FTE GPs per 1,000 registered patients in Nottingham and the east midlands in 2009 to 2012 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 General practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) FTE per 1,000 registered patients in selected region, 2009-12 
			 As at 30 September 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority 0.552 0.534 0.532 0.538 
			      
			 Nottingham 0.528 0.515 0.519 0.517 
			 of which:     
			 Nottingham City Primary Care Trust (PCT) 0.471 0.466 0.470 0.463 
			 Nottingham County Teaching PCT 0.556 0.540 0.544 0.544 
			 Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Health Services: Veterans

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will have discussions with medical professionals in Northern Ireland and the other constituent parts of the UK on forming a strategy to promote best practice in the treatment of armed forces veterans.

Jane Ellison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and UK departments of Health Partnership Board meets at least three times a year to address health and wellbeing issues relating to serving personnel, reservists, armed forces families and veterans. This Partnership Board is co-chaired by the Surgeon General for MOD and at Director General level for the Department of Health. Senior officials from the devolved Administrations are board members. In addition to Partnership Board meetings, there are regular ongoing discussions between departments and devolved Administrations to ensure the best possible care for veterans. Engagement with medical professionals is an essential part of this process and will continue.

Health Visitors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, columns 1003-4W, on health visitors, how many health visiting students are training and expected to join the workforce between September and November 2014.

Jane Ellison: NHS England advise that detailed monthly projections for the growth of the health visitor workforce between September and November 2014 are not currently available. In the 2014-15 financial year the health visiting workforce is expected to grow by 1,554 full-time equivalents. A monthly breakdown of this annual total will be compiled in due course by NHS England and Health Education England.

Hospitals: Food

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the satisfaction of NHS inpatients with hospital meals.

Jane Ellison: Hospitals have a responsibility to provide high quality food and drink that meets each patient's needs. The Department introduced Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) in April 2013 to assess the quality of the patient environment, including hospital food. PLACE is a voluntary process which takes place annually, and applies to hospitals, hospices and day treatment centres providing national health service funded care.
	A total of 10,841 individuals (staff and patients) took part in the first PLACE assessments and around 54% of these (5,869) were patient assessors. The results, published on 18 September 2013, showed that the average score for food and hydration across the 1,200 hospital sites assessed was 85.41%. A copy of this data has been placed in the Library and is also available at the following link:
	http://hefs.hscic.gov.uk/PLACE.asp
	All NHS hospitals took part in the PLACE assessments and each is required to produce an improvement plan which is posted on the trust website. The Care Quality Commission's annual in-patient surveys also collects feedback on the experiences of people using a range of health services supplied by the NHS, including hospital food. The most recent results (In-patient survey 2012) showed that 57% of patients rated the food as being Very good' or ‘good’, an improvement on the previous year's figures of 55% (In-patient survey 2011).
	The Department has recently confirmed the establishment of a Hospital Food Standards Panel, under the chairmanship of Dianne Jeffrey, chairman of Age UK. The Panel will work closely with the Department and NHS England to agree practical actions that can deliver genuine improvement in hospital food.

Hyperactivity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of attention deficit disorders on (a) mental and (b) physical health.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no such assessment. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, “Attention deficit hyperactive disorder: Diagnosis and management of ADHD in children, young people and adults”, published in 2008 state that around 1-2% of children and young people in the United Kingdom meet the criteria for severe ADHD, up to 9% may meet the broader criteria for mild or moderate ADHD and 2% of adults worldwide.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain, 2004 (ONS 2005) suggest that around 1.5% of children have Hyperkinetic Disorder, which is a term used by the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to refer to the more severe form of ADHD.
	Adult psychiatric morbidity in England, 2007, Results of a household survey, found the overall proportion of adults scoring four or more (the threshold at which clinical assessment for ADHD is warranted on the Adult Self-Report Scale-v(ASRS) was 8.2%).

Hyperactivity: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the long-term trends in incidence of attention deficit disorders among children and young people.

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no such assessment. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, “Attention deficit hyperactive disorder: Diagnosis and management of ADHD in children, young people and adults”, published in 2008 state that around 1-2% of children and young people in the United Kingdom meet the criteria for severe ADHD, up to 9% may meet the broader criteria for mild or moderate ADHD and 2% of adults worldwide.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain, 2004 (ONS 2005) suggests that around 1.5% of children have Hyperkinetic Disorder, which is a term used by the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to refer to the more severe form of ADHD.

ICT

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed within centralised IT departments or teams in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: 135 people are employed within the central estates and information services division of the Department.

Influenza: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department's influenza vaccination targets are met.

Jane Ellison: A range of measures are being taken to maximise the uptake of influenza (flu) immunisation. These measures include:
	publishing a seasonal flu plan and annual flu letter to assist the national health service and local government to plan for flu, including detailed guidance on the flu immunisation programme and a checklist of steps for general practices to achieve high vaccine uptake rates;
	NHS England running an assurance process to ensure robust flu vaccination plans are in place to meet the vaccine uptake targets;
	issuing a letter encouraging flu vaccine uptake in frontline health and social care workers;
	running a targeted national communications campaign to promote improved uptake of flu vaccine in clinical risk groups, pregnant women, and two and three year olds;
	letters sent to 35 charities representing groups for whom vaccination is recommended asking them to encourage patients to get vaccinated, and to professional bodies to encourage their members to get vaccinated;
	liaising with flu vaccine manufacturers to help ensure security of supply;
	holding a central strategic reserve of flu vaccine to address any serious supply issues;
	monitoring levels of flu and vaccine coverage throughout the season; and
	I wrote to all hon. Members on 23 October 2013 with details of the seasonal flu strategy and information about eligible groups.

Malnutrition: Young People

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients aged under 18 were admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of malnutrition in (a) England and (b) each London borough in 2011-12.

Norman Lamb: The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of malnutrition for patients aged under 18 in England and primary care trusts (PCTs) in the London Strategic Health Authority, 2011-12. This information is only available by PCT and not available by London borough. Four PCTs in London reported episodes with a primary diagnosis of malnutrition for patients aged under 18.
	This is not a count of patients as the same patient may be admitted more than once in a financial year.
	
		
			 Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector-2011-12 
			 Area Number 
			 England 38 
			   
			 Primary care trust area of responsibility  
			 Newham PCT * 
			 Brent Teaching PCT * 
			 Camden PCT * 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT * 
			 Total cases across all London PCTs 5 
			 Note: To protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been replaced with “*” (an asterisk).

Mental Illness: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of trends in incidence of anxiety among children and young people over the last 30 years.

Norman Lamb: The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12), was developed to gauge the existence of anxiety, depression and other mental health problems.
	The Health Survey for England uses the GHQ12 since 1991 (except in years 1996, 2007 and 2011) to gauge possible anxiety and depression in the population. The Health Survey for England covers those aged 16 and 17 in years 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, but not those who are younger. From 1995 it covered all ages.
	The following table shows the possible anxiety and depression prevalence between 1991 and2010 for those aged 17 or lower:
	
		
			 Year GHQ12>3 (Percentage) Confidence Interval 
			 2010 11.68 0.136742 0.096842 
			 2009 10.49 0.126799 0.08304 
		
	
	
		
			 2008 11.14 0.127587 0.095299 
			 2006 11.70 0.133756 0.100234 
			 2005 10.64 0.132825 0.079999 
			 2004 10.13 0.123855 0.07875 
			 2003 10.98 0.12851 0.090992 
			 2002 12.66 0.140007 0.113152 
			 2001 10.02 0.118087 0.082375 
			 2000 10.54 0.130435 0.080273 
			 1999 12.00 0.14098 0.09902 
			 1998 11.56 0.134319 0.096846 
			 1997 11.93 0.135769 0.102837 
			 1995 11.17 0.129978 0.093507 
			 1994 15.46 0.190151 0.119076 
			 1993 14.03 0.17256 0.108064 
			 1992 10.48 0.159515 0.050162 
		
	
	
		
			 1991 11.49 0.183315 0.04657 
		
	
	A graph showing the possible anxiety and depression prevalence between 1991 and 2010 for those aged 17 or lower has been placed in the Library.

NHS: Awards

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure on the National Clinical Excellence Awards was; and how many awards were made in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012.

Jane Ellison: Total expenditure on National Clinical Excellence Awards and the numbers per year for England from 2008 to 2012 are outlined in the following table:
	
		
			 National Awards in England 
			  Bronze Silver Gold Platinum Total English expenditure on national awards (£ million) 
			 2008 . 324 151 40 31 546 2008-09 180 
			 2009 310 177 49 30 566 2009-10 202 
			 2010 177 80 22 21 300 2010-11 203 
			 2011 154 87 33 25 300 2011-12 190 
			 2012 149 97 39 15 301 2012-13 177 
			 Notes: 1. The number of new national awards from 2010 onwards was reduced to retain scarce resources and to enable the award scheme to be on a good footing when a new scheme is launched in due course. The decision also took account of general resource constraints. 2. The reduction in expenditure in 2011-12 and 2012-13 has occurred for a number of reasons including taking into account consultants who have retired or left the national health service and a smaller number of new national awards.

NHS: Finance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on NHS England's proposals on the weighting given to deprivation factors in its Health Funding Review of Allocations.

Jane Ellison: Responsibility for resource allocation is a matter for NHS England as set out in “The Mandate”. NHS England is overseeing the fundamental review of allocation policy and will draw on the expert advice of the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) and involve a range of external partners. NHS England will consider the recommendations and findings of ACRA as part of this.

NHS: Recruitment

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS posts were recruited by Odgers Berndston in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012; and how much was paid to Odgers Berndston in each such year.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold this information. It is for national health service organisations to decide how best to recruit their staff. Most take advantage of the free to use NHS online recruitment service, “NHS Jobs” for the majority of their appointments.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will collate data on the number of (a) secondees from his Department to the private and voluntary sectors and trades unions and (b) secondees to his Department from the private and voluntary sectors and trades unions.

Jane Ellison: The Department will consider an appropriate approach to collect and hold information about secondees' employing organisations in the short term.
	Plans to replace our current Business Management System are being developed as part of Cabinet Office's wider shared services programme. The detailed scope of the future system has not yet been established.

Staff

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many civil servants were employed by his Department and at what cost on 1 October (a) 2010 and (b) 2013.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Information sampling date 30 September 2010 30 September 2013 
			 Staff full time equivalents (FTE) on payroll 2,543 1,848 
		
	
	
		
			 Staff costs in millions of pounds 12.73 8.94 
		
	
	Figures represent FTE and staff costs as at 30 September for the years in question.
	More information on both sets of data requested can be found at the following web address:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/workforce-management-information-department-of-health
	The information given for each year at 30 September is unchanged at 1 October in each year.

Tobacco: Packaging

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the terms of reference for the review of plain packaging of tobacco products allow an examination of the incidence of the use of illegal and unbranded cannabis by young people.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have asked Sir Cyril Chantler to carry out an independent review of the public health evidence on standardised tobacco packaging. This will be a focused review to
	'give advice to the Secretary of State for Health, taking into account existing and any fresh evidence, as to whether or not the introduction of standardised packaging is likely to have an effect on public health (and what any effect might be), in particular in relation to the health of children'.
	Sir Cyril will decide what evidence he wants to draw on.

EDUCATION

Children in Care

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many secure children's homes are run by (a) the private sector, (b) the voluntary sector and (c) local authorities.

Edward Timpson: There are currently 16 secure children's homes in England. Of those, 15 are run by individual local authorities and one is run by the voluntary sector. There are no secure children's homes currently that are run by the private sector.

Children in Care: Missing Persons

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2013, Official Report, column 406W, on children in care: missing persons, how many children went missing from care in 2011-12; and how many such children were missing for over one month in each London borough.

Edward Timpson: The Department currently collects information on children looked after by local authorities in England who went missing from their agreed placement for a period of 24 hours or more.
	A table showing the number of children who went missing from their agreed placement, and the number who were missing for a period of 30 days or more in each London borough has been placed in the House Libraries. The information shown relates to the year ending 31 March 2012.
	It is known that there is some under-reporting of children missing from their agreed placement by local authorities and hence in the statistics we publish. Comparisons with other data sources on missing children indicate that the figures presented are an undercount of the true figure, in part due to definitional issues (e.g. the Department only collects information on children missing for more than 24 hours).
	Some work was undertaken in 2012 to improve, the quality of the data returned by local authorities and this is likely to have contributed to the rise in the numbers of missing children reported. This quality improvement work continued in 2013 and will continue in future years.
	Since the response to the original question in July, updated figures for 2013 have been published. The Statistical First Release, Children looked after by local authorities in England, was released on 26 September 2013. The information given in this response relates to the year ending 31 March 2012 only; however, it includes updated information for the year ending 31 March 2012 as provided by local authorities through the 2013 data collection. For this reason the totals shown will not match that of the response given in July.

Families: Disadvantaged

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what involvement his Department has in the troubled families programme.

Edward Timpson: The troubled families programme is co-ordinated by a Troubled Families Team based in the Department for Communities and Local Government. Officials from the Department for Education work closely with this team and counterparts across Government to ensure the troubled families programme works effectively and builds in the wider programme of support for the children of these families.

Higher Education: Scholarships

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications have been (a) received and (b) granted for bursaries under the National Scholarship Programme in the last three years.

David Willetts: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Institutions involved in the National Scholarship Programme (NSP) use a variety of different approaches to deciding who should receive an award. Independent evaluation of the NSP found that most institutions who responded to an online survey required some or all of their potential recipients to go through an application process. The Department has no information on the number of students who applied to their university or college for an NSP award. In 2012/13, around 35,000 students received an NSP award from their university or college.

Priority School Building Programme

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department plans to allocate to under three provision in school buildings being built as part of the Priority School Building Programme; and if he will make a statement. [Official Report, 10 December 2013, Vol. 572, c. 3MC.]

David Laws: The purpose of the Priority Schools Building Programme is to rebuild schools in England in the worst condition. There is no provision made within the programme for under three places. However, we have allocated £200 million to local authorities for this specific purpose, and we expect them to contribute a proportion of this funding where they wish to provide under three places.

School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of compliance with the School Information Regulations 2012 by (a) maintained schools and (b) free schools and academies.

David Laws: The amended School Information Regulations 2012 removed the requirement for schools to produce a hard copy prospectus each year and instead require schools to publish certain information online. For secondary schools, this includes performance data on attainment and progress of pupils at the end of KS4 and a link to the school's entry on the performance tables website. Academies (including free schools) are not covered by these regulations but are required by independent school standard regulations to provide similar information.
	The Department has notified schools in a number of ways about the changes made to these regulations. This includes notifying schools through several of the termly departmental “Need to Know” emails to all schools (before and after the changes came into force), publishing and updating information on the departmental website and working to communicate the changes through partners like the National Governors Association. Her Majesty's chief inspector has also written to all schools and, in doing so, has reminded schools of their obligation to make key information available online as it is a key part of the evidence Ofsted inspectors use to plan and inform inspections.
	Governing bodies and head teachers have clear responsibilities to ensure that their school adheres to the law. If a parent believes that a school is not complying with the requirements they are entitled to raise this with the governing body. If their complaint is not resolved and they believe that the school has failed to discharge its duty or acted unreasonably, they can raise their complaint with the Secretary of State. Any such a complaint would be handled as set out in the Department's published school complaints process.

Schools: Bradford

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in the Bradford Education Authority area currently teach some of their pupils in portakabins and other temporary accommodation.

David Laws: As a result of the last Government's decision to stop collecting information on the condition of the school estate since 2005, the Department for Education does not at present hold data on the number of pupils educated in temporary classrooms. We believe this decision was flawed, which is why the Department has been collecting up-to-date information on the school estate via the Property Data Survey programme (PDSP), including the number of temporary classrooms across England.
	The survey programme has reached the end of its initial phase; however, as referred to in the written ministerial statement of 8 November 2013, Official Report, column 23WS on Property Data, an additional 8,000 surveys are due to be undertaken. These will be completed by the end of summer 2014.

Science: Education

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on industrial placements to encourage teachers to become more aware of engineering and manufacturing possibilities; and what steps he has taken to encourage such placements.

David Laws: Head teachers and teachers are best placed to make decisions about what professional development they require in order to meet the needs of their pupils and school. The new Teachers' Standards, which came into effect in September last year, make clear that teachers must
	“take responsibility for improving teaching through appropriate professional development, responding to advice and feedback from colleagues”.
	The Department supports the valuable role played by organisations in the engineering sector such as STEMNET, EngineeringUK, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Bloodhound SSC which link engineering professionals to schools and teachers through their projects. In addition, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) funds STEMNET to deliver the STEM Ambassadors programme, which gives those working in the engineering and manufacturing industries the opportunity to visit schools and explain the careers and opportunities that their industries can provide. We also welcome the work of the Engineering Development Trust which has a particular focus on this area, developing partnerships and building links between education and industry across the UK.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much local authorities have paid as a result of legal fees incurred by parents appealing decisions made regarding special educational needs children in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: This information is not collected centrally.
	Parents have the right to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability) about local authority decisions in relation to statutory SEN assessments and the contents of SEN statements. It is not necessary for parents or local authorities to be legally represented at Tribunal hearings; however in some cases they choose to be legally represented. In 2009-10, the last year in which the Ministry of Justice published this information, local authorities were legally represented in 15% of hearings and parents in 18% of hearings.

Teachers: Trade Unions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many meetings his Department's officials have had with teachers' representative organisations on pay, pensions and conditions of service in the last two years. [R]

David Laws: There have been 30 meetings between Department for Education officials working on pay and conditions of service, and teachers’ representative organisations, in the last two years. There have been 42 meetings between Department for Education officials working on pensions, and teachers’ representative organisations, in the last two years. In addition, there have been 74 meetings between senior Department for Education officials and teachers' representative organisations in the last two years at which pay, pensions and conditions of service may have been discussed.

Teachers: Trade Unions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many meetings he or his officials have had with the NASUWT and NUT on their trade dispute since 14 October 2013.

David Laws: There has been one meeting between Department for Education officials and the NASUWT and NUT on their trade disputes since 14 October 2013. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has invited the General Secretaries of the NUT and the NASUWT to attend a programme of talks about the implementation of education policy, including in those areas covered by their trade disputes. The programme of talks will begin in December.

Teachers: Trade Unions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many meetings he has had with teachers' representatives on pensions, pay and conditions of service in the last two years.

David Laws: There have been 28 meetings between the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) and teachers' representative organisations in the last two years.
	Representative organisations are free to propose items for discussion, either in advance or during these meetings. Many of these meetings will have included discussions about pay, pensions or conditions of service.

Teachers: Training

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many places available for the training of teachers on the School Direct system are unfilled.

David Laws: In allocating places each year for initial teacher training (ITT) the Department for Education models the likely fill rate. We over-allocate to ensure we train enough teachers, taking account of the likely level of recruitment in each subject. The allocated numbers for individual training programmes are not targets and should not be regarded as such.
	For 2013/14, we allocated 113% of the overall estimate of required teachers, including 9,586 School Direct (SD) places1. Provisional figures in the ITT census2, published on 26 November 2013, indicated that 6,580 School Direct places had been filled. Overall recruitment as a proportion of the estimated number of teachers required for 2013/14 was 96%.
	Allocations for the academic year 2014/15 have just been made. We do not yet hold data on recruitment to these places.
	1Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229468/SFR_ITT_allocations_August_2013.pdf
	2Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/260849/Main_Text_-_SFR49-2013.pdf

Teachers: Training

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many places are available for training teachers on the School Direct system.

David Laws: We have allocated 15,254 places to School Direct for initial teacher training for 2014/15. Full information is available online1.
	1Note:
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/i/itt%20allocations%20management%20information% 2021%20nov%202013%20-%20fixed.pdf

Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many education, health and care plans for young people have been implemented to date.

Edward Timpson: As of 31 October 2013, the 31 local authorities taking part in the special educational needs pathfinder programme reported that they had completed 1,336 Education, Health and Care plans.
	A number of local authorities outside of the pathfinder programme are also trialling Education, Health and Care plans but the Department does not have any data on the number completed to date.

CABINET OFFICE

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Francis Maude: My Department operates a Payroll Giving scheme which is promoted through the Cabinet Office intranet and enables individuals to make donations to any charity direct from their salary.
	In addition the Cabinet Office funds the Payroll Giving Awards which recognise the best organisations involved in Payroll Giving and promotes the sharing of best practice.

Employment

David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed by (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses operating in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (ii) East Riding of Yorkshire and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Jill Matheson, dated December
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the number of people employed by (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses operating in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (ii) East Riding of Yorkshire and (iii) England in each of the last five years (179444).
	Annual statistics on the number of employees are available from the ONS' Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). The tables below contain the latest figures, showing the number of estimated employees in micro, small and medium sized enterprises. BRES employee estimates, by employee sizeband, are not available prior to 2009.
	
		
			 Table 1: Haltemprice and Howden 
			 Employee sizeband 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Micro 5,600 5,600 5,600 5,600 
			 Small 7,400 7,500 7,100 6,900 
			 Medium-sized 7,700 7,600 7,300 7,600 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: East Riding of Yorkshire 
			 Employee sizeband 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Micro 22,600 22,100 22,200 22,100 
			 Small 35,200 34,400 33,800 32,700 
			 Medium-sized 31,300 31,300 29,600 29,900 
		
	
	
		
			 Table3: England 
			 Employee sizeband 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Micro 3,801,600 3,752,900 3,808,700 3,780,100 
			 Small 6,410,400 6,341,700 6,268,200 6,371,600 
			 Medium-sized 6.425,600 6,529,900 6,537,500 6,522,300 
			 Notes: Micro-sized businesses are those classed as having 0-9 employees. Small-sized businesses are those classed as having 10-49 employees. Medium-sized businesses are those classed as having 50-249 employees. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 
		
	
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Euthanasia

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many cases of (a) assisted suicide and (b) euthanasia have been reported in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Jill Matheson, dated December 2013
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many cases of (a) assisted suicide and (b) euthanasia have been reported in each of the last five years.
	It is not possible to provide figures for the number of cases of assisted suicide or euthanasia from the routine death registration data held by ONS. Such cases, where known, would be categorised as homicides and would be coded as assault because assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal in England and Wales.
	The mortality data held by the ONS is based on the conditions and circumstances recorded on the medical certificate of cause of death, or the coroner's death certificate, for deaths in England and Wales. The data is coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Residents of England and Wales may travel overseas to a country where assisted suicide or euthanasia is legal, and these deaths would be registered in the country in which they occurred.
	Figures for suicides in the United Kingdom, England, Wales and regions of England are published annually on the ONS website and are available from 1981 onwards. The latest statistical bulletin also includes analysis of the impact of registration delays on UK suicide statistics:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/suicides-in-the-united-kingdom/index.html

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged 24 and under have been unemployed for over a year (a) at the most recent date for which data is available and (b) in each of the last 20 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2013
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged 24 and under have been unemployed for over a year (a) at the most recent date for which data is available and (b) in each of the last 20 years. 179527
	Information regarding youth unemployment is available from the Labour Force Survey. The number of 16 to 24 year olds who have been unemployed for over 12 months are included in the table.
	Estimates are for the three month period July to September each year from 1993 to 2013.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. These are indicated in the table provided.
	
		
			 Long term1 unemployment among people aged 16 to 24, July to September each year, UK, seasonally adjusted 
			  Level(thousand) 
			 1993 **285 
			 1994 237 
			 1995 185 
			 1996 157 
			 1997 136 
			 1998 86 
			 1999 72 
			 2000 73 
			 2001 67 
			 2002 61 
			 2003 ***67 
			 2004 66 
			 2005 75 
			 2006 103 
			 2007 112 
			 2008 121 
			 2009 198 
			 2010 218 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 258 
			 2012 266 
			 2013 **282 
			 1 Unemployed for over 12 months. Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV <5—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes

WORK AND PENSIONS

Crisis Loans

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what was the rate of (a) repayment and (b) default for crisis loans provided in the financial years (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Steve Webb: There is no time limit for crisis loans to be repaid. the requirement to repay a crisis loan remains until the full amount has been paid back and, in some cases, the loans take many years to be recovered fully. Consequently, there are no formal figures for defaulted crisis loans in each year, only outstanding expenditure yet to be recovered. Table 1 shows the proportion of crisis loan expenditure that was recovered in the following years up to and including 2012-13.
	
		
			 Table 1: The proportion of crisis loan expenditure recovered in each year from 2009-10 to 2012-13 
			  Percentage recovered in each following year  
			 Year loan paid out 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Total paid back by 2012-13 
			 2009-10 13 19 18 12 63 
			 2010-11 - 11 20 18 49 
			 2011-12 - - 14 19 33 
			 2012-13 - - - 16 16 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official / National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, these amounts do not include recoveries from applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage point.

Employment and Support Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what benefits the Government makes available for workers who have paid national insurance contributions but have then been incapacitated and having exhausted their 12 month period on employment and support allowance are still incapacitated.

Esther McVey: People whose contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) exhausts because of the time limit may be eligible for income-related ESA instead. Other benefits such as housing benefit may also be available in addition.
	Claimants in the support group, who have the most severe health conditions or disabilities, are not affected by the time limiting provision.

Employment and Support Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have ceased receiving any benefits once their employment and support allowance has ended to date.

Esther McVey: Information on how many people have ceased receiving benefits once their employment and support allowance has ended is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with Parkinson's disease in receipt of employment and support allowance (ESA) and placed in the work related activity group have subsequently come off ESA after returning to work.

Esther McVey: This information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the work-related activity group in employment and support allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: There are no plans to abolish the work-related activity group this Parliament. The Government is committed to ensuring ESA works as well as possible, giving support to those who need it and helping those who are able to move into work. We've already made considerable improvements, such as to the work capability assessment following independent reviews. However, as is only right, we keep the policy under constant review to make sure it is operating as well as possible.

Employment Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of introducing a jobseeker classification instrument as in the case in Australia.

Esther McVey: The Department tested a classification instrument very similar to the Australian model in 2010-11.
	A full report describing this work is available from the gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210303/WP116.pdf

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households affected by the under-occupancy penalty include (a) one child, (b) two children, (c) three children and (d) four or more children.

Esther McVey: The following table shows the number of claimants with dependant children receiving reductions in HB due to the removal of the spare room subsidy policy, as of August 2013-.
	
		
			  Number 
			 One child 78,751 
			 Two children 62,098 
			 Three children 5,500 
			 Four or more children 3,790 
		
	
	This information can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm
	This year the Government has made available £180 million in discretionary housing payment funding.
	The 2011 Census reports that there are up to 400,000 households in overcrowded social housing in Great Britain.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children live in households affected by the under-occupancy penalty.

Esther McVey: There are 235,146 dependant children in households with claimants receiving reductions in HB due to the removal of the spare room subsidy policy, as of August 2013. This information can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm
	This year the Government has made available £180 million in discretionary housing payment funding.
	The 2011 census reports that there are up to 400,000 households in overcrowded social housing in Great Britain.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many houses whose occupants are affected by the under-occupancy penalty have previously had disability-related adaptations made to them.

Esther McVey: We estimate that around 35,000 claimants affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy live in significantly adapted accommodation.
	This year the Government has made available £25 million in discretionary housing payment funding for people with significantly adapted accommodation.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young carers live in households affected by the under-occupancy penalty.

Esther McVey: We estimate that around 50,000 claimants affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy are in receipt of carer's allowance.
	A reliable estimate by age group is not available.
	This year the Government has made available £180 million in discretionary housing payment funding.

Jobcentre Plus

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what performance measures his Department has put in place for Jobcentre Plus offices.

Esther McVey: All of our performance data is published regularly in the DWP business plan which can be found on the gov.uk website.

Jobcentre Plus

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of how often Jobcentre Plus advisers refer Work Programme participants to non-contracted local voluntary sector organisations for additional support.

Esther McVey: We do not make referrals for claimants who are participating in the Work programme. It is the role of Work programme providers to decide whether claimants need any additional support.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the (a) average duration of sanctions issued against jobseeker's allowance claimants and (b) number of repeat sanctions issued against jobseeker’s allowance claimants in 2012-13.

Esther McVey: The information requested for part (a) is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, information for part (b) on the number of times a JSA claimant has received a sanction for each type of sanction for the new regime, from 22 October 2012 to 30 June 2013 is published and can be found in Table 1.7 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255568/sanctions-nov2013-update-2.xls

Pension Funds

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the viability of financing infrastructure through defined ambition pension funds; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The potential for defined ambition pension vehicles to invest in infrastructure has been looked at by the Defined Ambition Industry Working Group, and the consultation paper 'Reshaping workplace pensions for future generations' (Cm 8710) published on 7 November 2013, includes models that might be suited to investing for the longer term in illiquid assets such as infrastructure.
	However, investment decisions are a matter for pension fund trustees and members and Government would not intend to make specific measures or requirements over and above the work already being conducted on enabling pension investment in infrastructure more generally.
	The consultation closes on 19 December.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the booking of personal independence payment appointments on-line.

Michael Penning: It is for the providers to consider how best to arrange personal independence payment appointments with claimants. There was no requirement for providers to provide an online service for booking appointments. It was for them to design their own appointment booking service although in the service specification issued during the procurement we actively encouraged innovation in many areas of the service.
	The Government welcomes any method that improves opportunities for claimants to book appointments. We actively encourage innovation around digital access.

Poverty: Children

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of UK children were living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in each year since May 1983.

Esther McVey: This information is not available for all periods requested.
	Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
	Estimates on the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income in the UK have consistently been reported using the FRS since 1998/99; these estimates are available for each financial year up to 2011/12, the latest period for which estimates are available.
	It is not possible to provide fully consistent estimates for earlier periods. Child relative and absolute low income estimates are available from 1994/95 to 1997/98, for Great Britain only and UK-wide estimates are available for earlier periods covering full year 1987, two-year calendar periods from 1988-1989 to 1992-1993 and two-year financial periods from 1993/94-1994/95 to 1995/96-1996/97, based on results from the Family Expenditure Survey.
	All of these estimates can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112
	(ISBN 978-1-78153-531-8).
	Relevant estimates can be found in Table 4.1tr - 4.4tr (on pages 102-5).
	We want to develop better measures of child poverty, which include, but go beyond income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and drive the right action. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

Social Fund

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what guidance was provided by his Department to local authorities to assist them in setting up local welfare provision schemes to replace crisis loans and community care grants;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to promote awareness of new local authority welfare provisions introduced in the recent Social Fund reform on his Department's website.

Steve Webb: The new provision is not a replacement for the Social Fund. Some discretionary payments have been abolished from 1 April 2013 and funding has been provided for new, better targeted local provision through arrangements made by upper tier local authorities in England and the Welsh and Scottish Governments.
	To help local authorities set up for their new provision we had dedicated web pages providing data on discretionary Social Fund demand and spend. We also held many workshops around the country in 2011 and 2012 with local authorities and the devolved administrations to discuss how the funding could be put to the best use. The settlement letter issued to each local authority with details of their funding provided further clarity on the purpose of the funding.
	To promote awareness of the new arrangements we continue to work very closely with English local authorities and the devolved nations to support them in delivering their schemes so that claimants can get timely access to the support available from both the Department and the new provision in their communities. This includes messages on the Department's telephone enquiry lines, scripts for DWP staff to use in Jobcentres and call centres and messages on customer letters, and information on the benefits pages on the www.gov.uk website.

State Retirement Pensions

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of implementing the new single-tier state pension.

Steve Webb: The estimated costs of implementing single-tier can be found in the impact assessment published in October 2013, at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/254151/a-pensions-bill-single-tier-ia-oct-2013.pdf
	These are best estimates of implementation costs (including IT expenditure and all running costs) for both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) until 2022-23. We will refine these figures further as we work through detailed plans for delivery once the Pensions Bill 2013 gets Royal Assent.
	Estimates of ongoing administrative costs or savings are not available at this stage. We expect these to reduce in the longer term as a result of the overall simplification the state pension and reduction in dependency on means-tested support. In the short-term, some additional administrative costs may result from operating transitional arrangements.

Unemployment Benefits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been in receipt of out-of-work benefits for (a) one year, (b) two years and (c) three years or more in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iii) England in each of the last three years.

Esther McVey: The information is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Out-of-work benefit claimants by statistical group and duration of oldest claim in England, Yorkshire and the Humber region and Haltemprice and Howden constituency, May 2013 
			   Duration of oldest claim 
			  Total Up to 1 year 1 to 2 years 2 to 3 years 3 years and over 
			 England      
			 Total 3,783,860 1,793,390 692,920 313,980 983,560 
			 Jobseeker 1,168,790 824,420 175,520 116,750 52,100 
			 Incapacity benefits 2,018,570 786,330 405,840 122,160 704,240 
			 Lone parents 433,370 126,340 87,620 60,140 159,270 
			 Carers 121,260 29,330 19,120 13,180 59,630 
			 Others on income-related benefit 41,870 26,980 4,830 1,750 8,310 
			       
			 Yorkshire and the Humber      
			 Total 433,190 213,420 81,970 37,060 100,740 
			 Jobseeker 152,280 103,760 25,010 16,620 6,880 
			 Incapacity benefits 216,140 88,250 44,460 12,470 70,960 
			 Lone parents 45,040 14,130 9,600 6,250 15,060 
			 Carers 14,250 3,500 2,280 1,530 6,930 
			 Others on income-related benefit 5,480 3,780 620 180 900 
			       
			 Haltemprice and Howden      
			 Total 2,960 1,480 490 270 720 
			 Jobseeker 1,070 730 130 140 70 
			 Incapacity benefits 1,590 650 290 90 560 
			 Lone parents 200 70 50 30 50 
			 Carers 70 20 10 10 30 
			 Others on income-related benefit 20 10 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Out-of-work benefit claimants by statistical group and duration of oldest claim in England, Yorkshire and the Humber region and Haltemprice and Howden constituency, May 2012 
			   Duration of oldest claim 
			  Total Up to 1 year 1 to 2 years 2 to 3 years 3 years and over 
			 England      
			 Total 3,998,210 1,761,960 526,600 256,650 1,453,000 
			 Jobseeker 1,268,790 944,950 240,460 55,360 28,030 
			 Incapacity benefits 2,072,110 621,380 168,610 120,950 1,161,180 
			 Lone parents 500,790 137,960 95,680 66,460 200,690 
			 Carers 107,800 26,150 16,700 11,710 53,250 
			 Others on income-related benefit 48,720 31,530 5,160 2,180 9,840 
		
	
	
		
			 Yorkshire and the Humber      
			 Total 455,240 211,340 62,060 28,550 153,290 
			 Jobseeker 161,760 119,210 31,970 7,460 3,120 
			 Incapacity benefits 224,170 69,410 17,520 12,730 124,510 
			 Lone parents 50,520 15,420 10,000 6,760 18,340 
			 Carers 12,860 3,200 1,980 1,410 6,270 
			 Others on income-related benefit 5,930 4,090 590 200 1,050 
			       
			 Haltemprice and Howden      
			 Total 3,260 1,500 430 190 1,140 
			 Jobseeker 1,230 910 230 50 40 
			 Incapacity benefits 1,690 470 120 100 1,000 
			 Lone parents 250 80 60 40 60 
			 Carers 70 20 10 — 30 
			 Others on income-related benefit 20 10 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Out-of-work benefit claimants by statistical group and duration of oldest claim in England, Yorkshire and the Humber region and Haltemprice and Howden constituency, May 2011 
			   Duration of oldest claim 
			  Total Up to l year 1 to 2 years 2 to 3 years 3 years and over 
			 England      
			 Total 3,971,360 1,566,210 407,190 252,370 1,745,590 
			 Jobseeker 1,197,090 1,028,070 120,780 33,900 14,330 
			 Incapacity benefits 2,104,450 342,640 167,030 137,360 1,457,420 
			 Lone parents 516,860 139,460 97,230 67,680 212,490 
			 Carers 95,930 22,960 14,680 9,780 48,500 
			 Others on income-related benefit 57,040 33,080 7,460 3,640 12,850 
			       
			 Yorkshire and the Humber      
			 Total 445,510 184,540 46,220 27,790 186,960 
			 Jobseeker 146,710 125,820 15,670 3,890 1,330 
			 Incapacity benefits 229,360 36,420 17,810 15,260 159,880 
			 Lone parents 51,680 15,320 10,260 7,140 18,960 
			 Carers 11,540 2,800 1,770 1,210 5,750 
			 Others on income-related benefit 6,220 4,170 710 300 1,040 
			       
			 Haltemprice and Howden      
			 Total 3,280 1,440 300 200 1,340 
			 Jobseeker 1,200 1,030 100 50 10 
			 Incapacity benefits 1,740 270 130 120 1,220 
			 Lone parents 260 100 50 30 70 
			 Carers 60 10 10 10 30 
		
	
	
		
			 Others on income-related benefit 30 20 — — 10 
			 Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten and totals may not sum due to rounding. ‘—’ Denotes nil or negligible. 2. Statistical group is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. 3. Out-of-work benefits which are included in this analysis are: Jobseeker's allowance (JSA); employment and support allowance (ESA); incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA); and income support (IS). 4. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment and support allowance (ESA) for new claims from October 2008. 5. The duration of claim reflects the longest out-of-work benefit claim for each person: For the jobseekers statistical group this will be the length of the JSA claim. For the lone parent, carer, and others on income-related benefit statistical groups this will be the length of the IS claim. For the ESA and incapacity benefits claim this will be the length of the IB/SDA or ESA claim if the person is only claiming that benefit, or the oldest of either the IB/SDA/ESA and IS claim if the person is claiming a combination of these benefits. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Unemployment: Carers

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of young adult carers not in education, employment or training; and what steps he is taking to support young adult carers into work.

Esther McVey: The information requested for the number of young adult carers not in education, employment or training is not readily available in my department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However the information requested was collected by ONS in the 2011 census and they have provided the following table:
	
		
			 All usual residents in England and Wales aged 16 to 24 and 18 to 24 who provide unpaid care and who are not in education, employment or training, 27 March 2011 
			  Unpaid carers aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training1 Unpaid carers aged 18 to 24 not in education, employment or training1 
			 Total 67,401 63,479 
			 Provides 1 to 19 hours unpaid care a week 34,465 32,140 
			 Provides 20 to 49 hours unpaid care a week 14,240 13,456 
			 Provides 50 or more hours unpaid care a week 18,696 17,883 
			 1 Economic activity: Economically active (excluding full-time students): Unemployed, Economically inactive: Retired, Economically inactive: Looking after home or family, Economically inactive: Long-term sick or disabled, Economically inactive: Other. Notes: 1. For the purpose of this table, all students, whether economically active or economically inactive, have been excluded. 2. In order to protect against disclosure of personal information, records have been swapped between different geographic areas. Some counts will be affected, particularly small counts at the lowest geographies Source: ONS-2011 Census 
		
	
	The support offered by the Department to young adult carers will vary according to the carer's circumstances but can include Jobcentre Plus adviser support, training opportunities and financial assistance. There are Jobcentre Plus advisers trained to understand carers' needs who can give advice on local childcare and replacement care provision to assist a carer when attending appointments with an adviser or an approved provider, or even starting work.